James H Devries

Sculpture for Jim is a second endeavor following a successful career as an entrepreneur and manager. After studying Architecture for two years Jim changed his major and graduated from the University of Michigan with an engineering degree. While working in the medical field Jim received over 100 patents in the areas of open heart surgery and cell separation equipment. In 1979 Jim began a medical device company, DLP inc., which he sold to Medtronic inc. in 1994. The company by that time had operations in three European countries and sold products to open heart centers world wide. Jim married Judith Dykema in 1961 and they have three children and nine grandchildren. Sculpture became a passion for Jim starting in 1998 when he was introduced to sculpture while visiting a dude ranch in Montana. Early sculptures were primarily of animals but he soon made the transition to primarily figurative work. His sculptures range from portraiture to the abstract. Since retiring in 2002 he has worked on several commissions for colleges. His sculptures are created to depict spiritual concepts by capturing the viewer's attention. Because he has a high view of the Bible, he prayerfully begins each new commission by doing an extensive study of the scriptures. His dream is to be able to someday complete a series of sculptures that portray all of the major themes in scripture.