"My Paintings Are a Diary of My Life in Art"

Accustomed as we are to posturing even at breakfast, Pepe Baena's gaze, capable of capturing the beauty of the everyday moment, is pure 21st-century costumbrismo: his still lifes of cookies with ColaCao, his cretonne sofas, and his scenes full of authenticity connect with all those who see his paintings because "they remind them of their childhood, or they remember their parents, or their grandparents when they see an Inés Rosales cake... they always tell me that my paintings take them back to their lives." Baena shows and sells his work with great success on social media while preparing an exhibition in Madrid for early December: "I love that people see my paintings in person because it changes the perception of the painting a lot. In a photo, you don't appreciate the brushstroke, the color, or the size."

"You, before having a snack, paint it. There are your paintings of beer and fried fish."

"Yes, yes. For me, it's the best snack there is."

"You started painting at 31."

"I've liked painting since I was young, I've always liked seeing it, going to museums. But I started painting late, yes."

"And did you start directly with realism, or did you try other styles first?"

"No, I've always painted figurative, realism. At first, I started with landscapes, but soon I began with still lifes, especially of fish. Then came the churros, the ColaCao, and so on, because I've liked painting still lifes since I started. It's essential to paint what surrounds you, what you know, what you live."

"Instead of painting avocado toast and spirulina smoothies, you paint churros and coffee with milk. You are the anti-influencer."

"Hahaha. But I realized that later: I paint what I like, and once I started posting it on social media, people told me that. On social media, things are published that are not very real for normal life, and in my paintings, people see themselves more reflected."

"Your children appear a lot in your paintings."

"Yes, the still lifes are a part of my painting that people like a lot, but for me, the best are the paintings of human figures and the ones with my children, the family scenes. They like to see themselves, and they fight to see who appears more in an exhibition."

"Your relatives also appear. Have they asked for image rights?"

"Hahaha. No, no. In truth, they don't appear much, it's more my children and my wife, who is Italian, and every time I return from Italy, I bring material to paint. I really like the paintings that come from there."

"You photograph spontaneous scenes of everyday life to then paint them."

"Yes, more or less the process is that. Although sometimes I do prepare the still lifes, I usually don't, I don't like it, because most of my paintings are moments that I capture to then paint them. But the painting commands over the photo. The painting begins when you see something and say 'there's a painting there.'"

"You have a devotion to Velázquez."

"He's the best by far. I also like Goya a lot, but Velázquez is fundamental for me."

"To the point of going to Edinburgh to see 'Old Woman Frying Eggs.'"

"I was very eager to see it in person, yes. That Velázquez at 19 years old painting that picture in Seville... it gives you goosebumps just thinking about it."

"If we talk about masters, we must also talk about Antonio López."

"I love him, of course. I love his painting and I love how he is. But come on, my paintings have nothing to do with his. With Antonio, I've learned more from listening to him talk about life and things than from watching him paint. He loves that I paint my life, that's what he likes the most."

"Your paintings are your biography."

"Totally, they are a diary of my life in painting."

"You are a cameraman for the Diputación de Cádiz in the mornings and a painter in the afternoons..."

"Not relying solely on painting gives me a lot of freedom, but it does take up a lot of time. Right now, I could live off painting, but I also like my job, and for now, I can combine them, although when I can't, I'll dedicate myself solely to painting. And yes, the freedom is that, painting without having to think about selling: if you paint what you want, the public notices."

"You live in Cádiz, away from the art circles of the capital."

"Yes. You have to go to Madrid because the best galleries are there, and the best fairs are held there, but now, with social media, any artist can live wherever they want. Recently, I was at the studio of Pérez Villalta, another great Spaniard, at his home in Tarifa, much more remote than Cádiz."

"Tarifa and Cádiz are not bad places to live."

"Well, of course, hahaha. It's true that life here is quite good. A friend of mine has a t-shirt that says 'I live where you vacation,' and it's a great phrase."