MONTICELLO, ILL. (WAND) - "Well I'm a workaholic with a very short attention span. So pretty much anything I can make with glass, I'm going to make it," said Jim Downey, owner of Prairie Fire Glass.

Jim Downey says he is Prairie Fire Glass, and quickly fell in love with the art of glass blowing.

"I started out in college. I just stumbled into glass blowing classes when I was in my early 40s over at the U of I. I absolutely fell in love with it," shared Downey.

Downey says back in the early 70s, an undergrad degree in fine arts wasn't highly supported. Because of this, he took on a cooperate job to help raise his family, but now downy says he finally gets to do something he loves.

"The fun with glass honestly is I'm like a little kid. Melting glass and playing with colors and stuff. So from Christmas ornaments, and garden ornaments, and paperweights. Vases, bowls, all kinds of custom stuff, spirit glass memorials, custom lighting..." said Downey.

And the list goes on, but how does glass blowing work? Downey showed his studio where the magic happens, and it involves a piece of glass and two-thousand degree heat.

"Take a little bit of glass. This is the furnace, that's what two thousand degrees looks like." "There's specific glass, there's lots of glass chemistry, so you have to be very specific about the base glass and the colors that you use," explained Downey.

Jim Downey is celebrating 20 years of business at Prairie Fire Glass. He mentions its the joy and relationships with his customers that kept him working.

"I make things that people like, that bring them joy. It's like okay I have to do this. It's absolutely amazing, I get people who make the day trip from Chicago suburbs. I had someone come up from Bellville around St. Louis. When people come in, I ask them what brings them to Monticello, and they say you," said Downey.

Next time you wan to visit somewhere new in Central Illinois, take a visit to Prairie Fire Glass Studio and Gallery in Monticello. You can visit the website to view what he has to offer and learn more about Jim Downey. 

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