Peter Monaghan

Paper sculptor

©Johnny Mallin

©Peter Monaghan

©Johnny Mallin

Colour composing

Peter crafts paper and card artworks
He relishes technical problem solving
He feels lucky to be able to work at his passion

Peter Monaghan creates multi-coloured installations and artworks from paper, card, wood and other materials. He paints the paper or card first, before cutting it and assembling his composition into a structuring base. He is passionate about the craftsmanship, finish and technical precision of each piece. The clean bold lines within his images and installations hint at his background in graphic design which he credits as the part of his creative development that instilled in him a good head for business. Peter is not shy of a challenge, in fact he sees overcoming technical obstacles as inherent to the thrill of his work. His pieces have been widely commissioned for public and private buildings in Ireland and abroad. Recently, he has collaborated with Ferreira de Sá to transform his art into luxury rugs.

Interview

©Peter Monaghan

Did you always have an interest in craft?: I suppose that I had an artist’s sensibility from a young age, and luckily my parents encouraged me. They took me to exhibitions and sent me to classes by the artist Pam Skerritt on Saturday afternoons and Monday evenings.
What materials do you use in your work?: I enjoy working with paper and card as they are easy to work with and respond well to manipulation. I also use plastics and wood for rigidity and shape. I use brush and spray painting, and I colour paper by hand with watercolours.
What motivates you to create?: To be able to devote all my time developing ideas and making art is a privilege and the fact that people respond to it, enjoy it and want to buy it, is immensely fulfilling. I am extremely fortunate to do what I do and that is why I work so hard at it.
Do you have a favourite colour?: Colour is certainly central to my work and rather than being drawn to particular colours or having favourite ones, it is combinations and contrasts of colours, shades and tones and the interplay between them that really fascinate me.

Peter Monaghan is an expert artisan: she began her career in 1977