From his studio on the south coast of England, the artwork of Jason Brooks effortlessly captures the dreamlike escapism synonymous with Monaco and the world of superyachts.
From the beginning of his collaboration with SuperYachtsMonaco (SYM), it was clear something distinctive and special was taking shape. Brooks works internationally as an artist and illustrator, and an early visit to the SYM office in Monaco helped lay the foundation for our creative collaboration. The city, widely regarded as the capital of superyachts and glamour, instinctively resonated with his aesthetic and immediately provided a rich seam of continuing inspiration.
Since then, Jason Brooks has played a key role in shaping one of the most recognisable visual identities in the world of yachting. His illustrations don’t merely depict luxury. They elevate it, rendering each scene with a cinematic elegance that feels both aspirational and deeply personal. From couture runways to Mediterranean horizons, Brooks’ career reflects a world of imagination, refinement, and escape, which are all qualities that mirror the ethos of SuperYachtsMonaco.
We spoke with Jason to explore his creative origins, his ongoing collaboration with SYM, and how he brings the superyacht lifestyle to life through his art.
About Jason Brooks
My passion for drawing and painting began at a very early age, and I’ve really been making pictures ever since. I was born in London to parents who were both highly creative, so there were always art materials in the house that I would pick up and experiment with.
I made pictures avidly throughout my childhood and teenage years. In my early twenties, I completed a degree in graphic design, specialising in illustration at St Martin’s College, before earning a Master of Arts degree at the Royal College of Art. I also began exploring the world and making travel sketchbooks at 17, starting a lifelong passion for drawing people in interesting locations.
My first big break came with winning the Vogue Sotheby’s Cecil Beaton Award for Fashion Illustration. This led to a string of commissions from British Vogue, followed by many seasons drawing at London and New York fashion weeks, as well as the Paris Couture for the Independent Newspaper. These experiences provided an amazing first-hand education into the world of fashion and elegance at the highest level.
I spent a very formative time during the 90s living in the Notting Hill area of London, which became a focal point for art, music, and culture globally. During this era, I began using computers to create art, and I was noted as being a pioneer in bringing this new technology to the field of fashion illustration.
In more recent years, I’ve written and illustrated three travel books of my artwork, Paris, New York, and London Sketchbook, which won a V&A Museum Award. The V&A also holds more than 70 of my artworks in its permanent collection.
Today, I work as an artist and illustrator with luxury brands, advertising agencies and individuals, focusing on themes of luxury travel, architecture, fashion, and lifestyle. I also sell art through my online gallery at jason-brooks.com. My client list includes Chanel, Tiffany & Co., Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, and my wonderful ongoing collaboration with SuperYachtsMonaco.
Let’s begin with your journey. What sparked your love for illustration?
I first picked up a red crayon at around two years old and drew a large face while sitting in the middle of what felt like a huge piece of paper. This still remains as one of my earliest memories, and began a lifelong passion for making art. Two early holidays in the 1970s, to Greece and Italy, also made a huge impression on me. Greece was where I really discovered the beauty of the sea at age 5. The following year in Florence, I first saw Renaissance masterpieces at the Uffizi Gallery, which opened my eyes in amazement to the power of visual storytelling – that fascination has never left me.
What shaped your early creative identity?
I was lucky to grow up in a home filled with wonderful art books and materials. Both of my parents were artists, and I spent a lot of time drawing friends and family, using my imagination in an era before video games, along with finding inspiration in American DC comics and Tintin books. This helped develop my skills in drawing figures in movement and from different angles and perspectives. I’ve always loved the work of artists who were masters of their own distinctive line – Picasso, Matisse, Steinberg, and later Hockney and Schiele.
Windsurfing was also an early passion. I learned at 12 on a family trip to Majorca, and then I worked at a surf school in Brighton during my teens. That connection with the sea, through wild weather, scuba diving, and sailing, deepened my love of water and the ocean as a subject.
How did your collaboration with SuperYachtsMonaco begin?
Jim Evans from SuperYachtsMonaco discovered my work through the Hedkandi album covers I created in the early 2000s, which sold over 6 million copies. He recognised how distinctive illustrated branding could help a yacht brand create a unique identity. Jim invited me to Monaco, and from that first visit, I was inspired by the team, the location, and by the vision they had for expressing this amazing world through visual storytelling.
How would you describe the world you’ve created through your art?
I like to think of the world I created as a glossy parallel universe inspired by real-life travel experiences and observations filtered through the lens of my imagination. It’s an optimistic, heightened version of reality inspired by themes of beauty, elegance and escapism. Stylised, aspirational, but grounded in experience. My process blends traditional pencil and ink sketches with digital techniques. Ultimately, I want to create pieces that reveal the beauty of the world and the allure of beautiful people in exquisite places. I want to give people moments to dream.
How does your style support a brand like SuperYachtsMonaco?
We share a visual language built around elegance, freedom, and escapism. My work is about capturing the emotional essence of travel and beauty. Not just aesthetics, but a feeling of possibility. For SuperYachtsMonaco, I aim to reflect the experiences they provide: exclusive, uniquely memorable, and beautifully imagined.
Why is a distinct visual identity so important for a luxury brand?
In today’s world, beautiful illustrations can offer brands immediate communication and connection. With SuperYachtsMonaco, the focus is to move beyond generic yachting photography and into something more artistic and distinctively expressive. My work aims to establish a point of view and a recognisable style that reflects the brand’s sophistication and creativity.
What has been inspiring your recent work?
Along with my own travel memories, I often draw on fashion, photography, and cinematic influences, including Bond movies, Hitchcock films, and French and Italian cinema. Fashion and lifestyle photographers who continue to inspire me include Slim Aarons, Helmut Newton, and Norman Parkinson – beautiful people in beautiful places captured in elegant compositions that have a certain emotional resonance and narrative element – they suggest lives beyond the picture. I’ve also been listening to a lot of jazz recently, which sets the perfect tone in my studio, along with its sea view, while creating art for SuperYachtsMonaco.
Your imagery has a timeless glamour. How do you keep that fresh?
I think glamour, especially in relation to the sea, is inherently timeless. My memories of holidays in the Maldives, glamorous fashion shows, parties, and sailing in the Caribbean all influence the tone of my work. There is an endless source of inspiration in the interplay between the natural world and human sophistication, modernity and exploration.
Are there certain motifs or elements you return to again and again?
Yes, there do seem to be recurrent themes. I’m fascinated by the human form, most obviously, but also by the contrasting surfaces and textures of materials. For example, the reflective quality of sunglasses, palm trees, islands, Murano glass, soft sand, marble, sunlight on skin, and the changing effects of weather and time of day. I also lean toward minimalism—Japanese and Scandinavian aesthetics, which I feel gives my work a more lasting appeal. It’s about elegant simplicity rather than chasing trends.
What does “luxury yachting” mean to you on a deeper level?
Each yacht is like its own floating universe. Romantic, cinematic, emotionally charged with the power to create amazing memories. It’s not just luxury. It’s about creating moments that feel extraordinary and personal. My art invites the viewer to pause and indulge in the beauty of the scene, both as an escape and a reflection of our cultural fascination with style, status and the sublime. I try to channel that sense of elevation into my work with SuperYachtsMonaco.
What’s next in your partnership with SuperYachtsMonaco?
What I love most is the trust and creative freedom we’ve built. It allows for truly imaginative results. We recently launched our first product together, a silk scarf. This represents just the beginning, and I would love to bring more of the elements I design into real-world forms.
Whether that’s accessories, interiors, fashion, furniture, or even yacht design itself, there is huge potential. As I develop my fine art, I’m also extremely excited to transfer my aesthetic to the art world with unique pieces that resonate with clients and collectors connected to the amazing world of SuperYachtsMonaco.
