Local artist, Pete Monaghan, hosts workshop for Coleg Ceredigion art and design students

Local Aberystwyth artist Pete Monaghan recently shared his creative process with art and design students, sparking their creativity and encouraging them to explore new drawing materials and mark-making techniques.

Through a series of drawing activities, Pete encouraged experimentation and expressive mark-making. Working from still-life arrangements and monochrome photographs, students gained a deeper appreciation for capturing their subjects’ character.

Pete’s art often focuses on subjects that many overlook, such as “ramshackle farms” and “abandoned barns.” He’s fascinated by “neglected and dilapidated places,” and finds hidden stories, textures and beauty in these places. Every detail, from the boulders in dry stone walls to the patches on roofs, each holds a memory of lives once lived.

Throughout the workshop, Pete guided students to look beyond the surface and discover the depth within forgotten landscapes. With new materials and mark-making techniques, students explored the textures and forms of the subjects, gaining fresh perspectives. 

Pete’s approach not only broadened student’s technical skills but also deepened their understanding of how art can reveal hidden beauty and tell compelling stories about the past.