by karen monaghan BA(hons) post grad diploma
Acrylic
h: 59 w: 74 d: 2 (cms).
I painted this image from sketches made on the point of Ness, in Orkney, on a wild and stormy day late in 2019. The light and weather changing minute by minute was challenging but inspiring. I wanted the viewer to feel connected to the elements and not just the place. It is important that we feel connected and feel a sense of place in the world. The rise in poor mental health in young people is compounded by lost sense of place in an ever changing world. We are all connected by the elements in a very basic and spiritual way. I want the viewer to feel that. I used layers of coulour, scratching back and washing away to give flickers of something else. Something half seen or half forgotten. The lighthouse is only barely visible, making us question what is really there, apart from the weather
by karen monaghan BA(hons) post grad diploma
Acrylic
h: 85 w: 85 d: 1 (cms).
This painting was made in the studio from sketches done in the North West highlands when I cycled the NC500. I had the minimum of materials to keep my pack lightweight, but was able to make many images and keep a picture diary. This was a hybrid of those sketches in which I wanted to give the impression of space and freedom and also capture the sense that everything could change a minute later. I peeled paint from yesterdays palette to make texture in the sky. The weather sometimes feels visceral. What we see, and what we know is there, can be very different and as we draw on our instinct and not our intellect it can inspire fear; wonder;alarm; awe. The solid elements of texture is a play on the solidity of the elemental forces upon us
by karen monaghan BA(hons) post grad diploma
Acrylic
h: 105 w: 85 d: 1 (cms).
Travelling throughout Scotland, its islands and remote places, I am always awed by the beauty of the landscape and particularly the beaches and coastline. Like most people I am concerned about the legacy we leave behind for our children. Plastic polution, air quality and overuse of our resources is of great concern to me. This image was in response to governments worldwide, refusing to commit to environmental initiatives while individuales strive to make changes.
Paint peeled from yesterday's palette was used to form texture in the under layers. Not only as a connection to the paintings before and the ones to come after but also as a way of safely disposing of / re-using the paint. I think the image can speak for itself without the words pencilled on, but once they have been read they stay with you when you see the image.
by karen monaghan BA(hons) post grad diploma
Acrylic
h: 74 w: 74 d: 2 (cms).
I completed this painting in Nov 2018 after cycling through the Hebrides in September, sketching and painting the glorious beaches there. I went to Ayr to see the response to Danny Boyle's WW1 tribute on Armistice Day. It was wet and miserable and very emotional. I wonder how long people will still remember, after the last of that generation have gone. We still do not learn by our mistakes it would seem ( Spanish Flu, Covid 19 etc). I wanted to convey the passion, terror, relief, love, and all the emotions between that could possibly speak for these young men, remembered on a wild and stormy beach. I use paint peeled off yesterdays palette to form texture in the under layers to connect each painting with the one before but this was also a human connection. We are all connected by the elements and a bigger something than we may not understand. It touches us all, the power of nature
by karen monaghan BA(hons) post grad diploma
Acrylic
h: 60 w: 45 d: 1 (cms).
This image was completed in March 2020 after a trip to Orkney. The weather and seas were wild and the coastline seemed to shift like a living thing. I wanted to try to capture the light and dark, the fierceness of the elements and yet the gentleness of the colours, together in harmony. I built up layers of colour scraping back and washing away to try to acheive the complexity of the light and colours. I wanted to highlight the elements as a visceral thing and not focus on the well kent view
by karen monaghan BA(hons) post grad diploma
Acrylic
h: 51 w: 56 d: 2 (cms).
This image was painted after a day on the shore at Vatersay in wild weather. Although it was October we waded into the sea and tasted the salt. I wanted to create the wild feeling of the day and connect the viewer to the place through the elements. I peeled paint from yesterday's palette and laid it down to form texture, giving a connection to the paintings before and the paintings which would come after. The left over acrylic from todays painting would become tomorrows texture. I imagine it like a song where you really only know one verse, your painting, but have a slight memory of another verse and a promise of more verses to come
