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 Tamara Natalie Madden was born in Jamaica and
migrated to the United States as a teenager. While battling a life-threatening disease as a young woman, she turned to painting as a lifeline. She survived and continued to paint, she says, “in remembrance of other
survivors.” Her work is influenced by her vivid memories of growing up in rural Jamaica. As she says in her Artist Statement, “Some of the specific influential memories that appear in my work are those
of the working class; the stern elders; the dutiful children. Women appear frequently in domestic situations, just as I recall: care-taking, manufacturing, protecting and sharing wisdom with youth. My creative
expansion, however, has allowed me to incorporate elements of religiosity including pieces that focus on the study of the human figure and black female/male spirituality and love.”
Madden has exhibited in a number of group and solo exhibitions and her work can be found in private and public
collections including Vanderbilt University, TN; and Alverno College, WI. She was a recent recipient of an individual
grant from the Puffin Foundation for her project “Never Forgotten” which focuses on combating poverty.
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