Mauldin Teen's Talent Utilizes Speed, Skill

An Upstate teen is using her artistic skills to begin her own business.

Heather Madden is a rising junior at Mauldin High School.

While looking for a talent to perform for pageants, Madden decided to go in a different direction.

“I was a dancer, but I play soccer now,” she said. “I’m always done art since I was really little and I needed a quick talent.”

Quick is the right word for Madden’s talent – she’s a speed painter.

She took lessons in speed painting from a speed painter in downtown Greenville. 

“We saw one of his shows and after the show, I asked him if he could teach me,” Madden said. “He taught me how to do it and now I’m doing it on my own.”

Speed painting has become a business for Madden.

“I’m starting to do kids’ birthday parties, events, all different types of stuff,” she said.

Contact Madden at teenspeedpainter@gmail.com

“It’s just starting off,” Madden said. “I’m not going for money or anything right now. I’m just trying to have a background for my talent.”

Madden competed in her first pageant ever at this year’s Miss South Carolina Teen pageant. She made it into the Top Ten. She says she really enjoyed her experience and hopes to compete again next year.

She is currently Miss Greenville Scottish Games Teen.

She said the Miss South Carolina Teen pageant experience was amazing.

“I ended up loving it,” she said. “The girls were so nice. It’s just a really good organization. I thought it would be stereotypical, but it’s not at all. It’s very helpful.”

She did speed-painting as her talent in the pageant.

“There was some glitter at the end onstage,” Madden said. “It’s a pageant – you have to have some sparkles somewhere.”

She’s working on adding some new designs to her repertoire, including a Clemson Tiger and the Reedy River Bridge.

Terry Garrison saw Madden’s artistic talent first hand at the Miss South Carolina Teen Pageant and invited Madden to demonstrate her speed-painting to Easley Chamber of Commerce members Thursday afternoon. See the video with the story to see just what Madden painted. She did it all in about 90 seconds!