For Street Artist Mulga, Inspiration Is Everywhere – From Surf Breaks to Corner Cafes

If you’ve visited Sydney’s busiest pedestrian thoroughfares and most vibrant alleyways, you’ve likely passed the quirky technicolour murals that artist Mulga, whose real name is Joel Moore, has become known for.

Moore’s kaleidoscopic illustrations dance with playfully nostalgic animals and cartoonish backdrops of the great outdoors.

In an ode to his love of the natural environment, Moore has also worked on a series of limited-edition designs for The Alternative Dairy Co. The new merch collaboration visualises the worlds of different plant-based milks – oat, almond, soy and coconut – that go in our favourite freshly brewed drinks.

“I wanted to put really funky characters into all these different Australian settings,” he says, “I first look at where these [ingredients] come from … then I interpret the lifestyle and themes I associate with the flavour to form my designs.”

Moore loves being able to create a wearable “summer vibe” for latte-loving folks. First up is a tribute to the classic oat latte, with Moore’s artwork nodding to the beauty of Australia’s golden fields at sunrise. And for the tea drinkers among us, favourites like the soy chai and coconut matcha are also given the Mulga treatment with quirky characters set amid leafy green backdrops.

The final design in this collaboration is all about the almighty almond iced latte. Moore’s art tells the full farm-to-cup story by pairing the natural terrains of sun-drenched almond orchards with coastal vistas, the ideal location to sip a refreshing cold drink.

It also playfully pays homage to Moore’s own idea of a perfect morning: an early start catching waves at his local beach followed by hanging out with his friends at a cafe. “Surfing is my favourite thing to do when I’m not making art.” This daily ritual is one that sets up his creative process.

In fact, many of Moore’s larger-than-life illustrations are inspired by his childhood adventures in the great outdoors. “I grew up going on lots of holidays to Ulladulla … we would stay at the caravan park there. I’ve got the best memories of visiting lots of different beaches, rock jumping and going on walks,” he says.

“My art has changed over the years, but my true loves have always come through in the themes: being in the outdoors and surfing, in particular.”

After he hits the surf, it’s back to his light-filled home studio, which is just a stone’s throw away from Cronulla Beach in Sydney’s south. “I do a lot of my drawing out on the deck with a coffee in my hand,” he says, “Though when the sun is out, it feels so summery in my backyard … I just want to jump in the pool.”

And if he’s ever stuck in a creative rut? A proper brew (or three) is the mindful downtime he needs to get back into making his art. “Coffee is a good excuse to take a break. I’m probably having a few a day … but keeping it interesting with different types of milk.” Of course, The Alternative Dairy Co provides his plant-based milks of choice.

For Moore, this collaboration goes hand-in-hand with all the “good vibes” Australia’s bustling cafe culture brings to local communities. “I always try to find towns I haven’t been to before. Like, on the north coast of NSW, I’ll drive around to get a feel for the best surf spots and cool little coffee stops.”

Whether he’s at his local beachside cafe catching up with friends or scouting out a cuppa on a road trip with his family, Moore says so much of the Aussie way of “living life and having fun” is best done over a cup of joe.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with The Alternative Dairy Co. Want to win your own one-of-a-kind artwork from Mulga, and merch from the collab? Enter our competition here.