Michael Monaghan: Rhythm Forged

Michael Monaghan is a contemporary Welsh artist from Cardiff whose abstract oil paintings are driven by the emotional force of music. A former steelworker, he channels that physical energy into the studio, building images through assured and confident brushwork that ultimately resolves into unexpectedly delicate, nuanced surfaces. Music functions as a catalyst in his practice, offering what he views as an immediate language of feeling that can be translated into colour, rhythm and texture on canvas. His richly worked, tactile paintings invite viewers into a shared emotional space, where sound seems to reverberate visually. Monaghan has exhibited widely in galleries across the UK and internationally, gaining recognition for works that balance spontaneity with considered composition. Through an ongoing exploration of abstraction, he continues to test how musical experience can be transformed into a resonant, material form.