Jamie Davis was born in Philadelphia in 1945. He earned a B.A. from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, in 1967, an M.A. from Exeter College, England, in 1971, and an M.F.A. from Clemson University, South Carolina, in 1973. Primarily a ceramicist, Davis also creates wall-mounted sculptures of metal, fabric, and paper. His work has been exhibited at the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., and in several galleries. His body of work is quite varied in media and technique, but all of it is self-referential, expressing his personal experience. His work from the 1980s, during which time he was building a house, features images of tools and construction.
*Excerpted from Tools as Art: The Hechinger Collection, published by Harry N. Abrams Inc.