Who is Madeleine Hughes from Blown Away Season 3? Glassmaker pursued classical ballet and circus in school

Netflix’s Blown Away is set to return to screens on July 22, 2022, with Season 3.

The show will follow the same format as the previous seasons and will have a cash prize of $ 60,000 and an artist’s residency spot at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York waiting to be won.

Blown Away Season 3 will be hosted by former America’s Got Talent contestant and science YouTuber Nick Uhas. Joining him will be resident evaluator and glass artist Katherine Gray.

The show will start with 10 contestants who will showcase their glassblowing talent and compete for the ultimate prize and title of King/Queen of Glass.

One of the glass artists on the show is Madeleine Hughes or Maddy. The Blown Away contestant from Britain said that she’s on the show to flex her conceptual muscles.

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Meet Blown Away artist Madeleine Hughes

29-year-old glass artist Madeleine Hughes was born in Brighton and grew up in Newport, South Wales. Having been inclined towards art since a young age, this Blown Away contestant was introduced to the performing arts and pursued classical ballet, circus, and stage performances.

Art was also a part of her childhood, as she took extracurricular art classes during her school years. However, by the time she completed her secondary schooling, her attention was diverted toward fine art.

This led to her acquiring a foundation diploma in art at the Arts University, Bournemouth. While at university, she discovered her love for three-dimensional work, which led to her enrolling in the Creative Glass Guild in Bristol for a course.

The Blown Away artist was intrigued by the versatility of glass and by the vast palette of colors that form when light and reflections intertwine. Her interest in glass art increased after she attended a taster session in glass blowing at London Glassblowers, led by Louis Thompson.

In her bio on A Heart of Glass’s website, she states:

"My work, therefore, is often led by process and technique as I like to spend most of my time in the hot shop, learning to master new skills and techniques, which I ultimately incorporate into my own designs.The aesthetics of a piece are very important to me and I like to take time to achieve a quality of finish which enhances my design".

In her Artist Statement, the Blown Away contestant said that she feels fortunate to have found an area she wants to focus on, that she is a passionate glass artist and that her work is driven by a desire to harness the qualities of the material in a way to be able to express herself artistically.

Her work is often inspired by her own experience and nature, and she likes to utilize the natural quality of glass to reflect her ideas.

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Madeleine’s glass journey

From September 2015 to Stempter 2016, the Blown Away Season 3 contestant worked as an assistant to Martin Andrews in Stourbridge. In the same year, in 2016, she also assisted Stephen Foster in Art in Action.

From 2017 to 2019, she performed demonstrations as Gaffer and assisted Ryan Ashcroft and Tim Boswell in Stourbridge. In 2018, she started working as a part-time assistant for Allister Malcolm at Allister Malcolm Glass Ltd.

In 2018, she was nominated by Wolverhampton University to be its representative on a scholarship program to attend a course at Pilchuck Glass School, WA.

Madeleine is one of the youngest contestants this season, with the only contestant younger than her being 26-year-old Grace Whiteside.