Paul Wright on Monotypes

Paul Wright’s monotypes are energetic, bold and characterful. His is a language that uses rich oil colour that glides across the surface, offering up not only a likeness of the subject but an essence of the sitter’s inner self, and a painterly quality that is sumptuous and vibrant. In abstract terms the mark making and colour offer a feast for the eyes, while the subject matter and how it is portrayed offers intrigue and insight.

Lisa: What do you like most about making monotypes?

Paul: The immediacy of making monotypes hooked me from the off, I work very quickly on my paintings and try to keep energy and movement in the paint. Monotypes allow me to work fluidly and quickly, which very much suits my temperament.

Lisa: What sort of inks do you like to use and why?

Paul: I use Lefranc & Bourgois etching inks, these are quite sticky out of the tube but I work them down with some turpentine to a consistency that works for me. They are rich and offer a range of blacks alongside deep and vivid colours.

Lisa: Can you give us the life story of one of your monotype prints? From the initial idea through to the execution?

Paul: I look for the head that I want to work from and try to think tonally, I then think about the size and then the mood of the print, as I work so quickly this is often more reflective of my mood than the subjects and I notice that a solid days printmaking will have a very distinctive feel to the results.

Lisa: What inspires your monotypes?

Paul: I am inspired in the same way as I am with my paintings. I try to allow everything in to my head that can unlock an image.

Lisa: What is the biggest practical challenge that you often face when making monotypes?

Paul: The greatest problem is always trying to see the image in reverse, and because I am working with paper as my lightest point I have to be aware of the tonal value of the plate. I think it is down to re calibrating your eyes and brain to look for slightly different things than when painting.

Lisa: How do the monotype prints relate to your paintings?

Paul: This first series of monotypes are much quieter in their surface make up than my paintings which incorporate a more varied range of methods of applying the material and moving it around, However I am trying to bring them closer together and this will happen more as I begin to work with colour.

Lisa: How important is scale in your work?

Paul: Unfortunately I am bound to the size of my press and until I can get access to a larger one I will be bound to explore within a smaller scale.

Lisa: What are you working on at the moment?

Paul: I am beginning a series of monotypes and paintings of ballet dancers, mostly monochrome with the emphasis on movement described through the mark making.

Lisa: Where online or in the flesh can we view more of our work?

Paul: My work can be seen through Thompson’s gallery in London, thompsonsgallery.co.uk or directly through my website, www.paul-wright.com