Laura Madden is a self-taught mixed media artist based in Phoenix, Arizona. Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, she reimagines reclaimed materials and found objects—items that might otherwise be dismissed as disreputable or disposable—as the foundation of her artistic practice. In 2019, she made the decision to pursue art professionally after recognizing it as her true life’s calling.

Madden’s creative path began with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Physiology from the University of New Hampshire, where she graduated summa cum laude. She spent 15 years working in the fitness industry before transitioning into sustainable fashion—a field that continues to inform her work. Drawing inspiration from her passion for the environment, design, and the intersection of beauty and sustainability, Madden creates layered, textural works that are both elegant and evocative.

Her work has been exhibited in numerous group and solo exhibitions throughout Arizona and is included in private collections across the U.S., U.K., and Canada. Garnering praise from her local community, Madden’s art has been featured in Luxe Interiors + Design, Modern Luxury Scottsdale, Iconic Life, So Scottsdale, and Phoenix Home & Garden, as well as on TV networks including Fox 10 Phoenix, CW7, Arizona Midday 12, Arizona's Family 3, and ABC 15.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My work explores themes of reinvention, sustainability, empowerment and alchemy through techniques that allow me to push boundaries and defy convention in consideration of what is fine art and our experience of home. Reimagining reclaimed materials and found objects that would otherwise be dismissed as disreputable or disposable is at the forefront of why I create art through the means that I do. 

Each original mixed media sculpture starts with my curation of cast-off items, such as reclaimed textiles, discarded metal and wood items, and the question 'what else can this be?' This internal narrative acts as the catalyst to my exploratory process as I transform some of the most commonly discarded items, such as home textiles, into modern art. In response to my affinity for texture, depth and speculating materiality, I construct and configure sculptural works, peeling back layers through deconstruction, then adding depth, volume and dimensionality over time and attentiveness using a plethora of paint applications, as the textiles are manipulated into my imagined form, yet while allowing my efforts to be manipulated by them, in fact.

My use of unconventional items and avant-garde application results in an unparalleled aesthetic, further provoking my commitment to creating a body of work that both empowers the human spirit, elevates the experience of home and strengthens the circular economy. My work draws on my love of the environment, design, and my background in sustainable fashion. My creative evolution is fueled by my desire to starve the landfill of some of the largest home and fashion industry offenders, while resurrecting value in items deemed no longer valuable. The rebirth of discarded items into an original artwork is closely mirrored in the phoenix rising from the ashes, or a broken spirit becoming renewed, sanguine and empowered once again. 

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