In the studio with leading artist Jakey Pedro

He might have originally been a free surfer, as well as plasterer and shop-fitter by trade, but art has always been woven throughout Jakey Pedro’s life.

Hailing from Noosa Heads, Jakey called Bondi home for 15 years, and it was the years spent in his North Bondi studio – plus a little initial help from Instagram in 2020 – that saw Jakey gain a cult following, so much so, he was able to swap the tradie tools for paintbrushes and become a full-time creative.

Almost six years on and Jakey’s highly coveted works have featured in the homes of celebrities including Justin Bieber and exhibitions all over the globe, he’s live painted onto a McLaren GT and collaborated with the likes of Wrangler, plus you’ll find his brightly-hued mural in our bar, and framed works up in the restaurant.

We recently caught up with the now Northern Beaches based Jakey to chat about those early days as a creative, his love of the coastal lifestyle, tips for budding artists, what an average day looks like now, and his favourite local haunts.

Tell us a little bit about your background – when did you know that becoming an artist was the career path for you?

I grew up in Noosa Heads quite close to the ocean and started painting at a young age – every Christmas I’d get an art set from my mum, and in my spare time I’d draw and paint. I started out with animals but then as you grow and experience things you change, and I’ve had on and off moments of not painting and drawing.

I was a plasterer and shop-fitter before, which still has a creative side to it, and had moments in a small art studio in Tamarama 15 years ago.

"Then when COVID hit I bought some red wine, paper, canvas and art materials, built a small studio in my North Bondi apartment, and sold my first piece of work in April 2020 straight from Instagram to a guy in Hawaii, who hit me up for a two by two metre canvas."

Soon after that I decided to pursue my career as a full-time artist, and it’s completely transformed my life. I get much more spare time to surf and hang with my son. It’s been very humbling.

What do you love about the coastal lifestyle?

I lived in Bondi for 15 years, the last five being in North Bondi, which is where I got to know the Rocker crew and how that fairly now iconic mural in the bar came about.

I’m in Newport now and couldn’t live anywhere else but next to the ocean.

Surfing has been a huge part of my life. I was a free surfer 10 years ago, and it allows me to clear my mind and reset and relax every day, so I’m a lot calmer when I walk into the studio and create.

How does Bondi or the coast more broadly inspire your work?

My palette is very beachy. I use a lot of soft pastels and coastal colours. The Winston Cow-Boy Du Surf piece is a good example of this, and it brings out the idea that you don’t have to ride a horse or bull to be a cowboy, you can be one anywhere you live.

That’s because for me, the cowboy is a way of life rather than a character, it’s a raw, brute, romantic way of living.

How would you describe your unique artistic style?

I think the reason my work sells is because I never did it for the money.

"The art world is filled with so many emerging artists and with that comes copycats, but I separated myself from the pack, found my own style and process, and created what resonated with me."

My style is raw and unforgiving, there’s a lot of texture and depth to it – people don’t realise that to create an artwork you’re not just painting one layer, but upwards of eight layers – and I use solid black oil sticks or charcoal to create really thick lines and give my works boldness.

What have been your career highlights over the years?

Travelling and doing artist residencies. I love to travel, paint and draw inspiration from different locations around the world.

There was a residence in Los Angeles where I stayed right on Sunset Boulevard and went to work in the studio every night. I found it really inspiring working there – Americans love supporting people, got put up in a beautiful villa with birds and monkeys in the Costa Rica hills in January, and Mexico – the different colours there are something else.

What advice would you give budding artists?

I didn’t see many artists selling their work from Instagram and building a website from there in 2020, and I do get a lot of emerging artists ask “how did you do it?”

"Art is priceless until it's sold, and my advice would be to start selling in a gallery first – I first got picked up in 2021 – to gauge the price of your art."

Instagram and social media have transformed a lot of creative industries, but you need to be one step ahead and get into ecommerce too. Have your website, because who knows, Instagram might crash one day, and develop relationships with galleries.

How do you spend an average day?

It’s a pretty cruisy start. I’ll wake up, can’t do much without coffee so have one of those, have a look at the surf, the locals and I will contemplate whether we’ll surf or not – nine times out of 10 we do surf – and then I’ll come back and jump into the studio from mid-morning to mid-afternoon.

After that I’ll hang with my boy and take him skating, and hit the studio after dinner until midnight. I don’t like to consider painting as a job, so I like to do it when I feel like it.

It’s not a 9-5, but more of a lifestyle. When you're an artist your art is your whole life, it’s the way you live, art is your life.

What are your top recommendations for those looking to make the most of their time in Bondi?

Rocker of course do a great Sunday roast and amazing pastas, and for a good cheap schooner and the best view of Bondi you can’t go past Bondi Golf. It’s still old school, not renovated, and they do a good curry night on a Thursday.

What’s next for Jakey Pedro?

I like to keep my life pretty flexible and have never really forced anything. Opportunities come and kind of fall in my lap, but I’m going to the States next May to feature in a group show in Austin and spend a bit of time there, and am working on a couple of commissions heading into Christmas.

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