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​I am Karen Monaghan, an artist living and working in East Lothian. My paintings are a response to repeated journeys both locally and throughout Scotland. I am interested in the connectedness we have to each other and the landscape, finding common threads in shared experiences and  a sense of place. The act of repeated walking, cycling, running, climbing, 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, depending on such transient things as light, sound and temperature . I apply pattern and texture in the under-painting, adding elements of texture in layers. I re-use 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. In the same way I  use words or found objects to invoke fragments of collective memory. I use the same techniques in figurative paintings, calling on memories, words and stories, passed on through families as they evolve and change
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