February 2019 2

310 ART COVER STORY
“Moon Shadow” ink, 18x24, by Fleta Monaghan
“The Three Muses” ink, 18x20, by Fleta Monaghan
Fleta Monaghan’s diverse work has pushed her to new levels of creativity
BY STAFF REPORTS • RIVER ARTS DISTRICT, ASHEVILLE
“I started in oil paint as a teen and during those
years also did explorations in many materials
from papermaking to marbling with oil paints,”
says Fleta Monaghan.
“I was fascinated with the properties of materials
and how color worked in visual art,” she
continues. “I have got degrees, but most of
my education was self-teaching, learning how
different pigments worked, how to put things
together in sculpture and even how I could collect
useless things like the old screws and metal bits
that once littered the grounds in the district into
something beautiful and meaningful.”
She now explores with encaustic mixed media,
oils and ink paintings and a frequent comment
Monaghan hears is her work is very diverse. But,
at the heart of all her work, there is a common
thread both visually and in meaning.
“In everything, I do there is a reference to our
place in nature. Landscapes are always present.
Vol. 22, No. 06 — February 2019
Color is always a key component to the work.
An attempt to understand the passage of time
and the vastness of the universe never leaves my
thinking when making art. I think that knowing
everything is so much bigger than I am allowed
me to take chances with new ideas without fear
of being judged or making mistakes. And there is
so much diversity all around us.”
Monaghan founded 310 ART in 2006 in a oneroom
studio. In 2009 she began expanding the
space and started a gallery that has grown in the
past ten years, now with five resident artist spaces
and 13 exhibitors. She has seen the district
emerge into a vital arts scene and all along the
way she has explored new methods, materials,
and imagery in art. As distressed old buildings
have been repurposed into comfortable and
eclectic studios and artists have flocked to the
district, Monaghan has constantly allowed her
art to evolve.
“Just like art making is a process, the growth of
the studio has magically happened. The district
has transformed from a collection of old mostly
abandoned buildings into a vital arts community. I
think it is rather parallel to living the life of an artist
and making art.
“There is constant transformation, growth and
making something out of the most basic materials
and things that are abandoned or consider
common. Just think, paints started as dirt, rock
and plant materials bound in something easy to
find such as plant oil or beeswax. I think this connection
to the most basic and earthy materials
allows me the freedom to explore and always be
trying new things. It is sort of like making grownup
mud pies or sand castles.”
IF
YOU
GO
310 Art
See the work of Fleta Monaghan at 310 ART,
191 Lyman St, #310, Asheville, NC 28801.
M-Sun 12-4 and by appointment.
Gallery@310art.com, 310art.com
RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE | 9