What we see isn't always what it seems.

Living in rural East Lothian I am constantly awed by the colours in the landscape and consider myself very fortunate to have both farmland and coast right on my doorstep. I make repeated journeys; walking; running; climbing; cycling; both in East Lothian and on travels throughout Scotland.There is something about the rhythm of repetition which gives an anchor to the process.  I note the small changes brought to a familiar scene by volatile elements outwith my control. 

Weather sometimes feels visceral and as we draw on our instinct and not our intellect it can inspire fear; wonder; alarm; awe. The changes in light and landscape in places I come to know well influences the colour and atmosphere in my work. 

The texture is a play on the solidity of the elemental forces upon us. I re-use paint peeled from yesterday’s palette, partly for environmental reasons but mostly to keep a connection with what went before. In the same way I sometimes use words or found objects to invoke fragments of collective memory. I want to show the connectedness with the land and elements that we all share as humans. 

 I try not to use iconic viewpoints in the places which inspire the images, making them particular to a place. The spirituality of the place is something that can be shared by everyone. We have more in common than that which divides us. 

Karen Monaghan graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art with a BA Hons degree and completed a year of post graduate study. She then lived overseas for 12 years where she continued to work from her studio and raise a family. She worked with young people in the community and used her studio space to curate exhibitions of their work.

Returning to the West coast of Scotland in 1998 she painted from her studio and exhibited in galleries across the country. She taught for 10 years in a residential school and later worked with vulnerable and troubled young people, using creative solutions to build confidence and find a sense of place. . Now living and working in East Lothian she paints from her studio working on images inspired by the landscape and the effects of climate change. 

With a keen interest in figurative work she documents daily family life in sketches and paints portraits, enjoying the biographical feel of the passage of time and the historical connection of the  generations