Meet Laura Madden | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Madden and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Freedom! Bottom line – to feel free. Creating abstract Art feels like complete freedom- to be me, to be fully self-expressed, fully seen. After moving back to Arizona in 2019, I got to a point where I was making so much Art, that I ran out of walls- physically. Emotionally, it was like I just couldn’t outrun it anymore.

There was nothing I wanted to do more than make Art. I finally came to the conclusion that this is what I’m meant to do with my life. I had been having the thought for many years- but never had the courage to fully accept it and take my passion seriously.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
This brings me to a really important point- My business is in the process of rebranding to Laura Madden Studio (formerly ReFashioned Art). It has been just five years since starting my business and deciding to pursue my Art professionally.

Although this has been my best year yet- I have built great momentum and a steady clientele- I have decided to simplify things way down a bit.

What is changing? Brand new website! It has been a long road but it is finally launched. Please come see me at LauraMaddenStudio.com and sign up for my email updates where I share more bts, personal strories and exclusive invites and promotions for my followers there.

I am also prioritizing collaborations, partnering with local businesses, such as interior and fashion designers to reimagine their fabric remnants into my sculptural Artworks, increasing commissioned projects, and I am no longer offering prints of my work.

What is staying the same? Same me and same Art- truly. From the start my work has been about the merging of luxury and sustainability by reimagining reclaimed materials and found objects into fine Art. And it is working! I still love it and my passion continues to grow- I think a lot of that has to do with the people I’ve been able to partner with along the way.

This year I’ve done some really high level commissions- for designers, private collectors and commercial work- all requests for my sculptural works crafted using reclaimed materials. This makes me SO HAPPY to give these textiles a new life and also create some incredible Artwork that I would not have thought of on my own. Working with designers and bringing their vision for their client projects to life is such A THRILL. It really is such an honor and such a joy for me.

Something that was difficult for me to overcome- choosing to make Art for others, not just for myself.

Having Art in my home makes me feel like I am living my best life- it is experiential in that way and transformational. It is what I want to see- and for that reason I feel fully self expressed and fully seen.

If you collect my Art, I really do hope that is exactly what you feel and experience by having my Art in your home as well. It’s a whole vibe. It’s a frequency you can access anytime you desire to. Art offers you a transformation for your state of being (or your state of mind) – it really is empowerment. That’s it- the cliff notes version at least.

As I shared earlier, from the start, the choice to repurpose discards to create may Art was an environmental stance- and it still is. At the same time, I quickly came to experience that using unconventional items and fabric remnants results in an unparalleled aesthetic- one that really grabs me.

I LOVE unusual and avant garden feeling things. I always want people to experience my Art as cutting edge – something they’ve never seen before, or even something that they can’t quite figure out- a bit of a mystery- That draws you in and activates your own creative senses.

Working in fashion I learned about the incredible amount of textile waste that exists on the planet, mainly from said industry, and this ultimately led me to start incorporating textile leftovers into my Artwork. Repurposing textile discards helps reduce waste, conserve resources, and starves the landfill

My art demonstrates the merging of luxury and sustainability. This really is very important to me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love a hike up Camelback Mountain- starting the day out in the desert sunshine bright and early is my favorite!
Next I would have to say
I love a shopping trip to TBC consignment- great selection and so many unique finds, and if you get to meet the owner Chrissy Sayare, she makes the whole shopping experience even that much more worth it.
Jade Bar for happy hour- right down the street from me and my favorite ambiance- great views and not too crowded! The menu is fantastic for having a sip or two of champagne and enjoying the mountain views.

For a seriously incredible dining experience, just down the road towards Biltmore, is Christophers at the Wrigley Mansion. I stick with the Bar Bites menu, and it is divine- though caution, it is hard not to overeat there. Everything is just so good! And the selection of bubbly is one of my favorites.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Absolutely agree! After having careers in fitness and fashion, why pivot full-time into Art? I had many people along the way recognize something within me, that I could not see for myself. I had colleagues, clients. friends, coaches, etc. who would see my art and immediately question why I wasn’t ‘trying to sell this stuff…’ I heard it over and over.

I’ve been making Art for my whole life, but only for myself. I literally kept it to myself. I would always create Art for my own homes every time we moved for my husband’s job. But once that home was looking and feeling how I wanted it to- I stopped making Art. Finally, the confidence and vision of others was infused in me too. I actually started believing in myself and taking my passion seriously.

There have been Artists I’ve met here since taking that leap who I will forever consider mentors- who have willingly shared advice, asked my the pressing questions that moved the needle for me and share their experience and paths to success. A few to check out locally are Loren Yagoda and Rick Levinson, and local Art experts who’ve helped me along the way are Gabby and Vincent de Sarthe (de Sarthe Gallery) and Craig Randich (Bentley Gallery).

Website: https://shop.iamlauramadden.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauramaddenstudio

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maddenlaura/

Twitter: https://x.com/iamlauramadden

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laura.madden.56

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LauraMaddenStudio

Image Credits
1st photo uploaded with the 4 sculpture pieces hanging on the wall – credit to Donna Brann Interiors
Kavan Lake (Featured photo)