We talked to Jimmy from xxloveglassxx about his personal experiences in the glassblowing industry and how they led him to learn the art of glassblowing. Jimmy's journey started in 2008 with a girlfriend who was working at the time for Gravitron, a small company that would eventually become the glass industry giant known as Grav Labs. Jimmy's girlfriend recruited him to apply decals to the company's glass. Gravitron quickly hired Jimmy to become a glassblower, but he ended up taking a position as their Shipping Manager instead. It would be a few years still before Jimmy would take on the art of glassblowing in full.
Jimmy's position as Shipping Manager for Gravitron allowed him to gain knowledge and experience in the glass industry. After a year or two Jimmy left Gravitron, citing a mental breakdown brought on after he consumed rye infected with ergot fungus. When he returned to Gravitron he was taken on as a full-time glassblower and began learning the art in earnest. Grav Labs CEO Dave Daily bought Jimmy his first torch and gave him the opportunity to learn the art. Jimmy's first pieces were made on a DIY one-armed lathe that Dave Daily made from a power drill, and Jimmy used the DIY lathe to make simple bat one-hitters by the thousands, learning essential skills through the process of repetition and practice.
During this time Jimmy not only learned the art of glassblowing but made lasting connections in the industry that would benefit him in his own career, and he credits his experience at Grav Labs for kickstarting his career as xxloveglassxx. Since this time he has worked with Grav Labs multiple times as both a partner and a collaborator. In addition to these experiences, Jimmy has learned techniques from mentors like Shawna Benson from Texas Hot Glass, and even took a class that was instructed by glass wizard Bandhu Dunham.
Jimmy's personal glass works are crafted and sold under the name Loveglassxx, and his pieces really stand out among the industry, displaying a unique feminine style inspired by shapes found in nature; leaves and plants and aquatic creatures, as well as spirals and horns. With Love Glass, Jimmy utilizes a wide ranging palette of colors and forms, favoring natural shapes like the leaves found in his "Native Roots" pieces. You should really check out his amazing pieces over at his xxloveglassxx Instagram page.
