Tamara Natalie Madden

Tamara Natalie Madden: An Everyday Heroine August 16, 1975 – November 4, 2017Tamara Natalie Madden was born in St. Andrew, Jamaica, and raised in Manchester, Jamaica, before moving to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she spent her teen and early adult years. It was during her childhood in Manchester that Tamara was exposed to her first artistic influences. As an early reader, she spent most of her days reading children’s books and found herself enthralled by the colorful illustrations. Her uncles, who were Rastafarians, also played an important role in her artistic development. She remembered, at the age of 5, being fascinated by an uncle’s pencil drawings and trying to understand how he could create something from nothing. In that same year, her uncle Carl taught her how to sharpen her pencils with a machete. From that point on, she decided that she would be an artist.In 1997, Tamara was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease called IgA nephropathy, which led to nearly four years of dialysis treatment. In order to maintain some semblance of normalcy, she began to create again, allowing her artwork to provide respite from her illness. In 2000, she ventured back to Jamaica with the hopes of reuniting with family and finding a long lost brother. She had no idea that the trip would save her life. Her brother, upon seeing the condition that she was in, offered his kidney to her. The transplant took place in 2001. Soon after, she participated in her first art exhibition, making good on the promise she made to herself to become a professional fine artist.Relocating to Snellville, Georgia, in 2004, Tamara went on to have numerous solo and group exhibitions nationwide and has been featured in publications such as Upscale Magazine, HuffPost and The New York Times. In 2014, The Grio named her one of 40 black artists to watch. Many of her pieces are in the permanent collections of public and private institutions such as Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Alverno College in Milwaukee, The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, as well as many others of note worldwide.Tamara was well-known for her artistic focus on the social, spiritual and cultural identity of people of African ancestry and her ability to dynamically transform everyday people into nobility in her work.She once said, “I had always felt a connection to ‘everyday folk’, the working class, the unseen and unheard, the true warriors of our time. My childhood experience with poverty dictated that I care. I realized, however, that many affluent people, who may have suffered through a similar struggle, did not want to revisit those struggles, so I decided to turn my ideas inside out. Inspired by the golden period of Gustav Klimt, I decided to turn regular folk into kings and queens. It seemed to be the only way to allow them to be represented and appreciated for who they were intrinsically; kings, queens and warriors who never had a chance to shine. My queens and kings have, however, evolved into their own entity. They define themselves now and have developed a voice of their own.The birds in the pieces represent a sense of freedom. It was my way of injecting my personal experiences into each painting. For many years while I was ill, I felt trapped and disconnected from the world. Dialysis was most difficult because it made me feel as if I couldn’t budge and while life went on around me, I felt imprisoned by illness. When I received my transplant, I no longer felt like a caged bird. I was free to pursue my joys and my passion. Each bird signifies a sense of autonomy, that feeling that you can achieve anything through hard work and dedication. As an artist my work will continue to evolve, however, I hope that this evolution continues to speak to the struggles and triumphs of the everyday person, in addition to the struggles and triumphs in my own life.”Tamara is survived by her daughter, Nidalas Simone Madden; parents, Woolie Madden, Sr. and Elaine McLean; brothers, Oneil Madden, Leroy Madden, Nwamiko Madden, Woolie Madden, Jr.; sister, Azana Madden; and a host of other relatives and friends."My art is a reflection of my personality—vivid and buoyant." —Tamara Natalie MaddenFuneral services to be held: Saturday Nov. 18, 2017 1:00 p.m.Funeral services provided by and condolences can be sent to: Tom M. Wages Funeral Services Snellville, Georgia www.wagesfuneralhome.comInterment in Mandeville, JamaicaIn lieu of flowers, please consider donating to https://www.gofundme.com/tamaratheartistRead Obituary