KELLYAN MORAGHAN
Starta Arta member
I use landscapes as a journey and stage for the drama of light, air and movement. I attempt to see past the structured spaces into the otherworldly qualities of the landscape. I am intrigued by the way light plays on natural forms, energizing and describing turbulence. There is a mystery in the dynamics of light and atmosphere in contrast to the solid landscape planes.
For many previous years I have been obsessed with the rooftops of cluttered Brooklyn and New York City spaces, where the architecture is piled upon each other. The repeating forms of water towers, satellite dishes and antennae that dominate many apartment rooftops are central to the visual rhythm in my paintings. The sky and the spaces between buildings are as significant as the buildings themselves. In recent years I had the opportunities to paint on-site in southern France, Ireland and New Mexico, where varied color palettes and unique distinctions of the landscapes have emerged.
The stormy weather and powerful climate conditions permeating the landscape have become a natural and more recent trajectory in my painting. The surface of the landscape paintings erupts with textured and expressive gestural marks, which are depictions of the radical weather events. 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.
I aim to maintain an element of spontaneity and directness in the paint and print. A fluid and spontaneous quality in every paint stroke are very important to me. I primarily work all prima both in painting and in 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 generate constant awe, yet sometimes fear and surprise. At times the awe is when you are hoping to see it and in other moments it is a surprise in revealing spaces. The painting process is not just an analytical process for me but is a revelation in every visual moment.
