Julie Russell on a new exhibition on Colney Hatch Lane

An artist in her studio with a paint palette — Theresa Monagle working on her paintings

Theresa Monagle grew up on a council estate in Muswell Hill. She’s been painting since she was a teenager and, as she got older, she realised it was the only thing she could and should do.

Theresa says, “Painting has become very much a therapy for my mental health”.

Theresa prefers to work with thick paint that she applies and sculps onto the canvas using a palette knife. Her paintings are inspired by life itself.

Teresa believes, “So many people just don’t realise how precious life is”.

Meanwhile, Nigel Chaloner left the local IT crowd for a fresh start as a filmmaker in Brighton. He started drawing during the Covid lockdown and says: “My work tends to focus on real people, real situations and the odd existential crisis”.

Nigel’s current project is a tech-fiction feature film, which he describes as “Taking a dim but hopefully compelling look at post-
industrial life and the creeping sense of disconnection that comes with it”.

Examples of Theresa’s original paintings and prints of Nigel’s drawings, curated by TomCatTatt, are on display and for sale at Old Marine Arts Group, the tattoo and art studio with a difference at 95 Colney Hatch Lane, N10 1LR.

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