Children inspire me! During my visit to Syracuse, some students from Franklin Magnet School came to review my artwork. I received a couple of letters from them that I'd like to share. Children inspire and encourage me to keep creating.

To: Tamara Natalie Madden
From Shalaya Wilson
Fifth Grade, Franklin Magnet School, Syracuse, NY
Response Poem to Artwork

Half-Cut Apple

I’m holding a white bird on my hand.
I’m holding a blue, white, red,
brown and green blanket.
I’m wearing a beautiful white
dress with swirls on it.
I’m wearing a half-cut apple
on my neck with a seed sticking out.
My beautiful eyes are looking
at the pretty white bird on my hand.
I’m wearing a gold flower crown.
In the background is blue dark blue
with green and gold coming out.



Dear Tamara,

Your name sounds like “tomorrow,” but your name is still beautiful like you.
I can tell you are a colorful person because you use a lot of different colors.

I would like to let you know that everyone was drawn to your watermelon picture — how is that? Like they are drawn to me — ha, ha — get it?

Sincerely,
Dequanna Jones
Fifth Grade, Franklin Magnet School, Syracuse, NY

P.S. Please write back












Art can touch lives in so many ways! Many thanks to educator, Jules Gibbs, for the images and for taking the children to the exhibit.

I'm a fine artist; a national and international artist. I don't view myself as a local artist. I simply reside in Atlanta.

I have to be very discerning when I choose to do certain things. I participated in an event last night and wasn't quite happy that I did it. Do I need any connections in Atlanta? I haven't had many buyers here in this city. My experience here hasn't been good, but from time to time I like to show my face at some of the local events, just to see.

I see that I simply need to stay focused on promoting my work to galleries here in America and abroad. No need to go backwards, and that's how I felt last night. I won't do any show, not any longer, just for the sake of networking, especially not in Atlanta.

All in all the event appeared to be successful for the promoters and the other advertisers. The artists were left to their own devices. We were not even acknowledged throughout the event and that was definitely unfortunate.

I live with no regrets and I'm thankful for all of the things that happen because they always give me clarity.

Uneven show by 3 African-American women offers food for thought at Community Folk Art Center in Syracuse

There are themes that resonate throughout the history of art and literature. One's place in the world, the dynamics of family and the role history plays in shaping a culture influence the visual narrative and story lines of many a work of art. Among specific communities, the ethnicity of an artist adds to the individual voice by coloring the work in profoundly personal ways.

A three-person exhibition on view at the Community Folk Art Center through May 2 examines these issues in distinctly different styles and media. The show, titled "Three Sisters: The Art of Robin Holder, Sonya A. Lawyer and Tamara Natalie Madden," features the works of these three unrelated, contemporary African-American artists, who engage collaged prints, photographic transfers and mixed- media paintings, respectively, as their form of visual expression.

The success of each of these artists' bodies of work depends upon the range of her artistic voice as she explores her individual themes. One-note themes and interpretations can become monotonous over the course of an exhibition, which is where this show separates the interesting work from the not-so-memorable work. If an artist doesn't recognize when he or she has maximized an idea, then the artist and the viewer pay the price.

Such is the case with Lawyer's photographic transfers. Lawyer employs vintage photos as her subject matter and as a vehicle for reclaiming lost identities. She appropriates portraits of unidentified African-American men and women whose individual photos have been ripped from albums and then resold as individual images. Lawyer transfers these images onto squares of multihued fabrics, often hand-dyed, and then arranges them in formal and usually symmetrical configurations as a way to piece back their identities.

They suggest a Warhol-like treatment of the portrait, but they lack the imagination and variety of Warhol's approach. With a few exceptions, most of Lawyer's works seemed to be singing the same predictable song.

Holder's works, although providing more visual and narrative interest than Lawyer's, aren't without drawbacks. Her series of mixed-media collages titled "Behind Each Window, A Voice," explores the personal histories of her Brooklyn neighbors. Through the combination of painting, collage and printmaking techniques, Holder recounts tales of victimization, child rearing and assimilation by the first- and second-generation immigrants she encounters.

While I found her inspiration and much of her execution to be commendable, Holder's use of cutout flaps as window shutters on some of the pieces seemed trite and diminished the work's aesthetic and conceptual effectiveness. I also wanted the presentation of the 17-by-11-inch pieces to be taken more seriously. The works are unframed and without glass (due to the cutout flaps, I assume), which gives them an unfinished quality.

Madden's regal portraits provide the most consistent and satisfying read in the show. Here again we see the idea of identity, or lack of it, serving as the springboard for an artistic voice. Madden engages unidentified "everyday folk" and raises them to the stature of "kings, queens and warriors who never had a chance to shine."

She does this by ornamenting them in gold, a la her inspiration Gustav Klimt, effectively dressing them in patchworks of fabric, situating them in mostly soothing environments and bestowing some of them with Mannerist qualities elongated and exaggerated arms and legs. Other subjects stand as metaphors for larger concerns. While Madden approaches her figures reverently, she is not afraid to use them as a tool to point a finger at the barbs of racism.

This show, while uneven, does offer some interesting ideas to ponder. It also provides viewers with an opportunity to compare how three artists handle a body of similar themes. It's disappointment is that some of the artists don't push their media or their ideas far enough.

Katherine Rushworth, of Cazenovia, is a former director of the Michael C. Rockefeller Arts Center (State University College at Fredonia) and of the Central New York Institute for the Arts in Education.

Tamara Natalie Madden

I use my full name for a reason. There are other artists who share my name and it's the best way to avoid confusion. When you look me up, please look for Tamara Natalie Madden.

If you're in LA, come see the show. Opening reception Saturday, May 9, 2009. Check out www.cchpkas.com for details.

I've attached some new pieces. I have a lot of work to do. So many ideas running through my head.



Enclosed, 2009 SOLD




Majestic, 2009 SOLD



Superiors, 2009 SOLD

Visit www.tamaranataliemadden.com to see more art.