Inside Look at Blenko Glass Company's Mobile Hot Unit: Meet James Woodson

As we countdown to West Arts Fest, we wanted to give you an inside look at Blenko Glass Company and their Mobile Hot Unit, which will be at the event on July 18th from 4-7 PM. James Woodson sat down with us to share more about his position at Blenko, his extensive experience with glass, and the artistry behind it. Read on to learn more about James and the Mobile Unit!

A Passion for Glass

James Woodson has been working in glass production for 22 years and is currently the Lead Furnace Technician for the Blenko Mobile Unit. He started at Blenko in 2007, working there for four years before taking a leave to travel and learn more about glassmaking. James returned to Blenko two years ago with new ideas and a renewed sense of creativity. In his role, he leads the Mobile Unit, assists with the apprenticeship program at Blenko, and engages in flameworking or lampworking.

“Flameworking has always been a passion of mine,” James shared. “That’s kind of how I got my foot in the door with glass originally. It’s just more small scale, but you can get more detail in the work with flameworking than you do necessarily with furnace glass.”

Roots and Growth

James grew up in Nitro, West Virginia, and recalls visiting Blenko Glass with his middle school class, where he first witnessed the magic of glassblowing. “I didn’t think much about it then, but it was my first introduction to glass,” he said. Throughout his early life, James always had a creative mind. He began blowing glass at Blenko in 2007 but moved to North Carolina to further his knowledge, spending time in Asheville and Boone working with other glassblowers.

“Unfortunately, Blenko is the last bit of glass community around here, so it is hard to have a network of other local artists and guests. That’s mainly why I wanted to travel,” he added. James is a member of the Glass Arts Society and attends their annual weekend conference, which only about 1,400 members, who are working artists, attend.

The Evolving Trade

Despite the small glass community in West Virginia, James sees glassblowing as an evolving trade nationwide. “More people are becoming interested in glass right now, and even though West Virginia’s never really had many glass programs or schools dedicated to glassblowing, there are schools and programs right outside of the state that are fairly modern,” he said. James credits YouTube, TV shows, and the internet for the growing interest in glass, whether to buy, collect, or create. “I’m looking forward to something happening in the future here in West Virginia as glass becomes more mainstream.” James also enjoys teaching the trade to apprentices at Blenko and appreciates the excellent apprenticeship program they offer.

The Blenko Mobile Unit

James will be at this year’s West Arts Fest with the Blenko Mobile Unit. The idea behind the Mobile Unit is to bring glassblowing to the public eye. The unit features a 600-pound miniature furnace with about 50 pounds of molten glass inside. James and three other workers will produce ornaments, drinking glasses, and other small items. They also bring a miniature annealing oven, wooden molds, cutters, and shears. The furnace must reach around 2300 degrees Fahrenheit to melt the glass and about 2100 degrees to work with it.

James walked us through the glassmaking tools from the mobile unit. Once the furnace is hot and the glass molten, they start with egg-shaped wooden blocks and spoon-shaped wooden tools to pour and shape the glass. To prevent burning, the tools are kept wet, causing steam to form and assist with molding. They also use jacks, large tweezers for shaping, and cutters and shears for final touches. “I like to use wet newspaper as a shaping tool because it’s as close as you can get to shaping glass with your bare hands,” James said.

A Vision Brought to Life

James finds immense gratification in bringing a vision to life. “Whether it’s once, ten times, or 100 times, I think the value is in being able to take a vision and create something that speaks to people. Sometimes that doesn’t have to mean anything, it just speaks to them,” he said.

Photos in this blog are credited to Toril Lavendar, Blenko Glass Co.

Join us at West Arts Fest to witness James and the Blenko Mobile Hot Unit in action. Don’t miss this opportunity to see the artistry of glassblowing up close and explore the wonders of glass creation!

Originally posted by Central City & 14 ST W via Locable

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