Although glass blowing is a solitary act, Jonathan Davis doesn't want to do it in a vacuum. He learned it from friends, and likes to keep making artist pals. To that end, Davis set up shop in Pittsboro with fellow glass blower Damien Drobnes, and is now teaching as well as creating. He calls his enterprise Locally Grown Art, which reflects his feelings about community. "I love it when someone takes a class, they get into it, and then they rent studio time. You have a buddy to work with. I really enjoy doing this collaboratively."

First lessons: Davis, 25, grew up in a musical family in South Durham. He turned to glass about 2001, when a friend opened the Carolina Glass Art Studio in downtown Durham. "The opportunity to learn it just fell in my lap. I had a paid apprenticeship," he said. Through the Durham Arts Council, studio artists there taught glass blowing as well, which was Davis' introduction to teaching glass as well as making it.

His other passion: Meanwhile, after taking classes at Durham Technical Community College and N.C. Central University, Davis found his other calling at Central Carolina Community College in Pittsboro, where he completed the sustainable farming program.

On the farm: Most recently, he and his girlfriend, Shannon Casey, have been living and working at Matzah Rising Farm in Pittsboro, gardening and taking care of the animals, but they plan to move to their own place soon. "But we want to keep the garden," said Davis, who is as interested in locally grown food as he is in locally created artwork.

Torch art: Although the term "glass blowing" is often used to describe what Davis does, technically it's called lampworking and is the process of using a high-temperature torch to melt and form raw glass into various shapes. "You're melting tubes and rods of clear and colored glass and you work on small areas of the glass," Davis said.

In focus: Davis said a big challenge in the process is the focus it requires. "When you're working and you start a piece, you can't just put it down. When you're melting the glass, it's moving. ... It can be a little intimidating sometimes, especially when you're going to start on a piece that you know is going to take hours." On the other hand, the process can be invigorating, he said, especially with an eye on the outcome. "I love making goblets and paperweights. It takes a lot of time especially for the glasses, but they're really elegant looking."

Budding glassmakers: Davis offers workshop classes many weekends, with March 3 and 4 and March 10 and 11 on the schedule next. He teaches introductory classes for lampworking and beadmaking. "There's nothing like having new energy and someone who's really excited about it," he said. "They even give you new ideas, because they haven't been confined by techniques."

Festival circuit: Along with having his work in shops in Carrboro and Durham, Davis has shown and sold at several local arts festivals, including Lazy Daze in Cary and the Festival for the Eno in Durham. He hopes to expand his list of shows this year, and also to have Locally Grown Art included on the Chatham Studio Tour. "I love doing festivals and talking to people," Davis said. "It's great to talk about the glass, but also about important things like organic farming and buying from local farmers. There's a lot of important issues to talk about."

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