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James Howell started flintknapping about twelve years ago in 1995. His first exposure to flintknapping was from Ron Fuller who was giving a demonstration at a local flea market. James learned the basic techniques from Ron Fuller and D.C. Waldorf's book on flintknapping. |
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James began to make glass points about six years ago in 2001. That's when he began to experiment with many different types of glass that he melts together in thin blanks in a kiln. His points reflect the seemingly endless patterns of color that can be produced with this technique. |
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James attends six or eight knap-ins a year. According to Dane Martin, who is co-editor for "Chips," James is "the best source for glass blanks for knapping in the world." Most of what he sells are the blanks. He keeps most of his points but has sold a few. |
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Australia and North America are two areas where glass was used by the indigenous people as soon as the first Europeans arrived with bottles and telegraph insulators. In Australia, glass was used to make Kimberly spear points. In California, the material was used to make side-notched arrow points. |
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James Howell's points are exceptionally beautiful. They represent a new direction for flintknapping. Heat treating stone can change and enhance the color. But to be able to manufacture and control both the pattern and color, that's new territory that's limited only by the imagination. |
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"REFERENCES"
1994,
Whittaker, John C., "Flintknapping, Making and Understanding Stone
Tools,"
p. 67. |
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