Pepe Baena, the Painter Who Is Taking the Art World by Storm with His Breakfast Paintings: "I Paint the Life Around Me"

Julio J. Portabales

"So realistic!", "It makes me want a beer", "Look at the details"... These were some of the comments heard among the audience that walked through the paintings of Pepe Baena from Cádiz at a new event of the Aula de Cultura de SUR, organized by this newspaper with the collaboration of Fundación Unicaja.

The artist, known for his hyperrealistic still lifes of Cola Cao with cookies, churros, molletes, or Inés Rosales cakes, participated in an open dialogue with journalist Alberto Gómez in the courtyard of the Centro Cultural Fundación Unicaja, the former Episcopal Palace, accompanied by a temporary exhibition of some of his most recognized works.

Baena, like his paintings, does not entirely fit the usual standards. He came to painting late, at 31 years old, and his learning was self-taught. He acknowledges that as a child, the world of art knocked on his door several times, though he never paid too much attention at the time. His path seemed to be headed elsewhere.

In fact, he studied Image and Sound and is currently still working as a camera operator at the Diputación de Cádiz. However, the shades, the colors, and the frames gradually began to take over. What started as a hobby at 31 has almost become his main occupation at 47. "It has ended up being a second job that is almost becoming the first," he acknowledged.

Although his great passion is painting, Baena clarifies that he also enjoys his work as a camera operator, even though it can sometimes be somewhat tedious. "Sometimes you're filming a politician and you think: 'What am I doing here? I could be painting,'" he commented with the mocking and relaxed tone that marked much of the interview.

His work also stands out for facing everyday life head-on, though it has also opened the door to commissions related to well-known figures, especially those linked to Cádiz. Among them are the portrait of former Minister of Justice Juan Carlos Campo and the former coach of Cádiz CF Álvaro Cervera, who asked him to paint him after his dismissal. It was a particularly emotional job for the artist due to his close sentimental connection with the yellow team.

All his paintings share a trait that defines his way of understanding painting: they are born from within. Baena insists that he needs to feel what he paints to add those details that give authenticity and spontaneity to his works. Therefore, he admits that when a commission does not move him, he prefers not to accept it. "Having a painting leave your studio that you don't like is bread for today and hunger for tomorrow," he explained.

Young Audience

One of the aspects that stands out most in his career is the ease with which he connects with the young public. Word of mouth and social networks have become his main channels of dissemination. "I've had young people come up to me saying it was the first time they bought a painting, and that's very beautiful," Baena shared, living with the same excitement the sale of a work to gallery owners like Leandro Navarro as to a group of kids approaching the world of art for the first time.

Similarly, social networks have allowed him to reach a community of fans who value his work, although his paintings also break with part of the usual showcase of these digital spaces. Instead of the posing of avocado breakfasts, Baena paints the everyday ColaCao, beers, fish, Dinosaur cookies, or any recognizable scene from an ordinary life.

"I paint the life around me, and it's the life of a normal person living in Cádiz," the artist commented. In his opinion, much of the success of his paintings lies precisely there: in that the viewer recognizes themselves in them. "People look at them and they remind them of their life, and I think that's why they like them," he added.

The creative process of Baena: "I see something, I take a photo, I save it on my phone, and then I transfer it to painting"

His proximity to the audiovisual world also influences his way of working. Baena does not start from large sketches or solemn processes. Often, it all starts with a photograph taken with his mobile phone. "In the past, painters would see something and make a small sketch. Not me: I see something, take a photo, save it on my mobile, and then transfer it to painting," he explained.

Behind those recognizable still lifes of ColaCao, beers, fish, or cookies also appear portraits, an area in which he acknowledges he is insisting more in recent times and which is especially important to him. Especially when the protagonists are one of his three children.

Each of them already has a portrait painted by their father, although Baena joked that there are more versions. "At first, I took photos of them to paint them, and they would say, 'Dad, stop taking photos of me.' Now they compete to see who sells more of them," he shared with laughter. The comment well summarized the spirit of a close, fun, and very similar talk to his paintings: everyday, recognizable, and full of details.

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