I was flipping through a Paul Gauguin book when I first came across the humble and natural simplicity of the monotype print. This particular monoprint by Gauguin is called Studies of Horses and you could say it inspired all of the images that have stirred in the mind, or come out of me since then. I’d become a bit fed up with painting, the proper brush and paint painting—the standing there all day by myself painting, loathsome and lonely.

I was doing large format garbage in the non sleeping room of a two room apartment and not really getting anywhere. Living with the work had caused a near nervous-breakdown, like living with deep regret or a bad dream; or a diphtheria salesman. All of these big, ugly oil-paintings were destroyed by black mould during the La Niña downpour-event-of-the-century and I don’t know what I’d done to deserve the good fortune. Mother nature knows best, I suppose.

Nevertheless, the whole event destroyed me. Over the next few months, I moved houses and did some other things, but pretty soon got the itch back to do something with myself. I thought about Studies of Horses. I thought about the Korean monochrome movement and I thought about Forrest Bess cutting a hole in his nuts. I built a large table that does not wobble and I sat there with black paint in a chick-pea tin, one brush and an old mirror for no real reason other than to have some fun. The fact they are exhibited here in this beautiful old building is a wonderful miracle. I like old buildings. Google says that monotyping is a type of printmaking made by painting onto a smooth, non-absorbent surface then transferring the image to paper by pressing it down, etc.—I won’t bore you with the details.

The point is that Google says nothing about it being quick and fun. It is both of those things, but most importantly for me, it became a kind of therapeutic exercise in finding a way to happiness within my process. I like that most about monotypes. I like that I just like doing them.

Jack A. Moxey is a Sydney based writer, film-maker and visual artist. In 2018, his feature film Bugs (2018) was awarded best independent film at the 2018 Sydney Underground Film Festival. His debut solo exhibition of paintings, The Dark Horse Tic was held at Compendium Gallery in Melbourne (2021); and his first book of poetry, Death Trips in Apex Park was released in 2023 through Index Limited Editions.

Words by Jack Moxey