Kellyann Monaghan

I use landscapes as a stage for the drama of light, air and movement. I attempt to see beyond the structured spaces and journey into the landscape's otherworldly qualities. I am intrigued by the way light plays on natural forms, energizing and illuminating both stability and turbulence. There is a mystery in the dynamics of light and atmosphere in contrast to the solid landscape planes. I have primarily painted the landscape from observation and perception. For many years I have been obsessed with the rooftops of cluttered Brooklyn and New York City spaces, where the architectural forms are piled upon each other. The repeating water towers, satellite dishes and antennae that dominate many apartment rooftops are central to the visual rhythm in my urban paintings. The sky and the spaces between buildings are as significant as the buildings themselves. In recent years, I have had opportunities to paint on-site in southern France, Ireland, and New Mexico, experiences that have broadened my palette and introduced me to the varied forms of the idiosyncratic landscapes of different locales. The stormy weather and extreme conditions permeating the contemporary landscape due to climate change have inspired the most recent trajectory of my painting. The surface of the landscape paintings erupts with textured and expressive gestural marks, depicting the radical weather events. These recent paintings emerge from photoshopped video stills or news footage imagery. I find unexpected beauty out of the destructive qualities of the weather. The weather is an instinctive inspiration for my tendencies as an “alla prima” painter while also illustrating the impact of changing environmental conditions upon our world. I aim to maintain an element of spontaneity and directness in the paint and print. The fluid and spontaneous quality of every paint stroke is critical to me. I primarily work all prima in painting and the monotype printmaking process. I edit, emphasize and exaggerate structural and organic forms. In the monotype process, I utilize the subtractive approach where each mark reveals light, form and texture. The process allows for idiosyncratic and unexpected painterly qualities to occur. The nuances of light, atmosphere, and weather inspire a continuous feeling of awe, sometimes accompanied by fear and surprise. At times, awe results from hopeful expectations realized, such as in the lyric beauty of a rolling wheat field, while at other moments, one is overwhelmed by the surprising beauty of nature’s destructive power. For me, the painting process is not just an analytical process but a sublime revelation in every visual moment.

I use landscape as a stage for the drama of light, air, and movement, looking beyond structured space toward its otherworldly qualities. I'm drawn to how light animates natural forms, revealing both stability and turbulence, and to the tension between atmosphere and solid planes. My work is primarily observational. For years, I've focused on the dense rooftops of Brooklyn and New York City, where layered architecture—water towers, satellite dishes, and antennae—creates a visual rhythm. The sky and the spaces between buildings hold equal weight. Painting on-site in southern France, Ireland, and New Mexico has expanded my palette and deepened my response to varied, idiosyncratic landscapes. More recently, climate-driven weather has shaped my work. Through textured, gestural marks, I depict radical atmospheric events, often drawing from altered video stills and news imagery. My newest work also explores unusual light apparitions in the night sky, such as the Milky Way and the Northern Lights. I'm drawn to the unexpected beauty within destruction, and to how weather aligns with my instinctive, alla prima approach while reflecting environmental change. Spontaneity and directness are central to my process. I work primarily alla prima and in monotype, editing and exaggerating form. In printmaking, I use a subtractive method where each mark reveals light and texture, allowing for unexpected, painterly results. Light, atmosphere, and weather continue to inspire awe—at times hopeful, at others unsettling. For me, painting is not only analytical, but a moment of sublime revelation.