Madaleen (Maddy) was born in Brunswick, Maine and the 2nd oldest in a family of eight, where both parents worked to raise them and make ends meet. Right from a little one Maddy was “horse crazy” and since her parents couldn’t afford to buy her little toy horses, she made them. First out of soap, then after getting an X-acto knife set, out of balsa wood. 

In high school horses came first so carving was put aside while her horse became her world. Her first horse was bought with baby-sitting money at $.50 an hour. After high school, the time painting in oils horses and their owners, dogs and cats was squeezed in between a husband, daughter, son and a barn full of horses. 

Maddy picked up carving again in between the the births of her daughter and son, 1969-1972. At that time she never knew that Chips Chats or any other carving association existed , so she just developed her own style of carving for fun. Though she has never written an article for Chip Chats, she has been featured on the cover in July-August 1993, Nov.-Dec. 1997, and Jan.-Feb. 2019. 

In February 2023 in the Arizona Woodcarving Association / Grand Canyon Woodcarving Association show, a carving that is a new companion to the carving featured on the Chip Chats cover of Jan-Feb 2019, won best of show. 

Maddy now lives North of Phoenix , AZ near Cave Creek and teaches in her studio behind the house. 

For more, visit Maddy’s website  maddysart.com