Monahan's wallpaper at Oriel Davies
Compositions in silver and blue, Composition in silver and blue and Composition in pink, all details and all 2009. (© Richard Monahan)
An exhibition of Richard Monahan’s latest work at the Oriel Davies Gallery shows how wallpaper and textiles can inspire fine artists runs from 27 June
Richard Monahan’s latest series of canvases and collages, called Wallpaper, are directly influenced by memories of a wallpapered corridor in his childhood home. ‘This wallpaper jungle scene left a really strong impression on me and is the basic starting point for the series,’ he explains. Monahan originally did a textiles course, spending time printing on fabric and weaving before turning to fine art, and this background gave him a special interest in repeating patterns, an interest which also explains his attraction to wallpaper. ‘I appreciate repeating patterns and like the idea of creating my own patterns that are subtly subverted with each repeat,’ he says.
The panels are worked in oils with the figures – and in some cases, text – gauged out of the painting to form a textured effect. ‘It’s like drawing in clay,’ he says, but although the texture is an important part of the work, the lines themselves are the most important element as these are pictures that clearly tell a story. Although what the story actually is remains tantalizingly shrouded in mystery.
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