Pete Monaghan is a contemporary artist based in Aberystwyth specialising in the vernacular architecture of Wales and the Celtic fringes.
He draws rapidly on-site in a concertina sketchbook with fineliner pen and wash, the linear quality of the drawings allows open interpretation in the studio where he fuses techniques gleaned from a background in (technical) illustration with mixed-media and graffiti influences, attempting to bring urban grunge into rural settings.
“My work always begins with sketching on location. Only when I have drawn sufficiently do I feel the freedom to splash and pour paint, enticing abstraction, entering into a dialogue of controlling and letting go.”
For this exhibition a long-simmering theme has been ignited, “Backs and Beyond” looks at tradesmen’s entrances, the unseen rear of buildings and hotels where car parks, fire escapes and bins are to be found, these are showing alongside paintings of remote places.
The resulting work celebrates the beauty and dignity of humble buildings, overlooked and unseen spaces.
