James Lavoie, a native of Alberta, has been working with glass since 1978. Experimenting with both "cold glass" (stained glass) and "hot glass" (blown glass), Lavoie found his site of expression in a marriage of the two techniques: fused glass. In his pieces, he combines the methodical composition and solidity of cold-glass work with the potential for creativity, simplicity and sophistication of hot-glass work. Lavoie creates his pieces with the intention of preserving the beautiful simplicity and light-capturing qualities of glass. His studio is located in Edmonton, Alberta.

Glass fusing is a process in which glass pieces are shaped, layered, and fired in a kiln, thereby "fusing" the pieces into one solid piece. The geometric patterns characteristic of Lavoie's work involve anywhere from 50 to 150 individual cuts; taking advantage of glass' tendency to break in straight lines, Lavoie creates an edge-to-edge composition that is simple yet distinctive. Lavoie takes his inspiration from mosaics, artist M. C. Escher, designer Charles Mackintosh, and fused glass artist Klaus Moje.