We talked to an incredible glassblower named Takoda Madrona about his career and what lies in the future for this young artist. Takoda Madrona started blowing glass when he was only 16 years old. Before he found glass, the young Takoda was already a burgeoning artist who worked in various mediums. One of his favorite items to work with in those days were old AOL installation discs that were freely available through the mail or at local grocery stores. He would take the discs and melt or partially melt them and make different sculptural works with them. Madrona was also known among his friends for making bongs from various plastic bottles, and it was this hobby that led him to become interested in glassblowing. When he was 16, Takoda Madrona attended a demo at a glassblowing shop and was amazed by the process and the potential for glass as an artistic medium. He expressed this interest to his parents and they made a deal with him; if Takoda Madrona would attend community college and pay for the tuition costs himself, then his father would agree to enroll Takoda in glassblowing courses and his father would pay the cost.
This agreement would come to change Takoda Madrona's life. By the time he was 19 years old Takoda Madrona was already teaching beginner glassblowing lessons, and he got a job with a glassblowing shop where he taught lessons, did repairs, and made custom pipes. Takoda worked at that shop for five years before resigning his position to begin solo work, and when he began working solo he decided early on that he wanted his art to be made and sold under his real name, a nod of gratitude to his parents who helped him to make this artistic career a reality. Madrona is especially grateful to his father for allowing him to pursue the career that he wanted; the elder Madrona has multiple doctorates and a PhD, and high-achieving parents like Takoda's father often put undue pressure on their children to pursue high value careers. Takoda Madrona's father never put any such pressure on his son, and he supported his son's decisions, and it's for this reason that Takoda Madrona was able to flourish and succeed in the career that he wanted.
Takoda Madrona's early glass work was largely production focused. When he was working at the glassblowing shop he learned under a production blower named Dylan Davis who taught him assembly line style production, and Takoda credits this work for teaching him consistency and how to refine his techniques. Takoda advocates utilizing classes and formal teachers over DIY learning via YouTube or other sources, because formal teachers have the capability to give their students a deeper understanding of theory and the proper processes for different techniques. Takoda Madrona's first pieces during this time period were simple pipes with basic fume work, frit work, and internal work. In his free time he would make small sculptural animals like snakes and whales, but most of his money was coming from the production work and repairs that he was doing for the shop. During this time Takoda Madrona also took private lessons from Dustin Revere, who taught him how to make millefiori and some advanced sculptural techniques that have proven invaluable to his art now.
Now that he works solo, Takoda Madrona is focused on refining his own personal artistic styles, his sources of inspiration ranging from the natural world, video games, history and even mathematics. Takoda has become quite renowned for his astonishing fillacello work, which he does in 32-line and 64-line varieties with insane precision. He occassionally participates in competitions at events like the Champs Glass Games. Lately he has been producing a signature product called Terp Screws, and he's even made a separate Instagram account just for that product. Takoda Madrona regularly participates in the Michigan Glass Project, a nonprofit that holds glassblowing events to raise funds for charity, and he encourages his fans to check out the Michigan Glass Project and to support their mission.
In the future Takoda Madrona is hoping to purchase a new home and a studio, and he's trying to save as much money as possible to achieve that goal. He has slowed down on attending events and competitions in order to help save money, but once he is able to secure these spaces he plans to jump back into the competition scene in full force. Be sure to check out his work over on his Instagram page (@takoda.madrona) and you can pick up a Terp Screw of your own from the Terp Screw Instagram page (@terpscrew)
