About
Karen Monaghan is a multi media artist. Images start their journey after she has been immersed in the landscape, sometimes in extreme weather conditions;
Her interest is in the elements; how it feels to be out in the landscape and the unfolding drama that extreme conditions bring about. Strong family ties inform figurative work, alongside interaction with people she has observed or come into contact with in challenging situations. Karen uses words in her images, which have evolved over the years, themes which are universal as well as personal. Not a protest banner, but a persistent nagging. She draws on family traditions, national identity, folklore . Stories in pictures.
Her jewellery draws on the same narrative, making way for organic designs.
Paintings
My paintings are a response to the thoughts, words and mumblings, which fill my head as I move through the landscape. The act of repeated walking, climbing, cycling in different weathers gives a different perspective of a familiar place. Observing that space at different times sparks new thoughts and ideas to develop.
My interest is in exposure, extremes and changes brought about by the elements, I reuse paint peeled from yesterday’s palette to create texture, avoid the environmental impact of discarded paint, and to keep a connection with what went before. I like the idea that each image is like the verse of a song or a chapter in a book but not the whole story.