An Interview with Nina Brooke

Last updated:November 19, 2023

Table of Contents

HEY NINA, WHAT’S HAPPENING IN YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW?

Hey Surfd!

I have been spending a lot of my time catching up with family and having some well-deserved me-time. I have also been taking the time to reflect on the past four years. My life has been very transient! That comes with being a travelling artist and surfer though. I’ve also been going through all the photographs and paintings, looking back at the memories and fully appreciating the places I’ve seen, the people I’ve met and the things I’ve done.

I have also recently started working with some talented young creatives in Cornwall. It has always been a dream of mine to bring more dynamic people onboard. It adds to the fun! So, yeah, I have really enjoyed catching up with everyone and not going travelling.

HAVE YOU HAD ANY GOOD WAVES LATELY?

Yes. I feel so naughty for saying it, but it’s been pretty dreamy here lately. The water is warming up and the waves have been so clean and clear for a while now. I have a new 9’4ft courtesy of Bos Surfboard in Penzance so I have been nurturing a new relationship with that over the past month. It has been epic!

HAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE OCEAN ALWAYS BEEN SIGNIFICANT? WHAT SPARKED YOUR INTEREST IN THE SURF SCENE?

My family love sailing. I crossed the Atlantic with them when I was just two weeks old! Every summer we would be out on the boat on passages to France, Spain, Med, Isle of Scilly….etc. I am very aware of the ocean and her different moods!

As you can see, my relationship with the sea started at a very young age. It was ingrained from the start. I have to admit though, I did get seasick a lot! I was also terrified when we were sailing at night in stormy conditions with huge waves crashing against the side of the boat. I used to have nightmares about our boat hitting other containers in the dark. Or about the keel falling off! That kept me awake as it can happen!

When started surfing at 13, I felt more comfortable with the ocean. I have the utmost respect for it. To me, it’s the most beautiful element on earth and I could never see a life without it.

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION AND HOW DO YOU STAY MOTIVATED?

It comes from travelling. That can be a little trip to a local beach or a long-haul adventure. I love to watch the relationship between people in beach environments and take in the landscape in all its form – shape, colour, texture, depth, etc.

We are all a moving painting. When I arrive at a particular place and see how much people are enjoying some of the most beautiful locations, I think to myself, ‘yeah that’s awesome, those people understand the good life’. This is what I like to paint. I get so excited about beautiful places. I always want to depict a stunning scene in my language and that language is from a bird’s eye view.

DO YOU HAVE ANY CREATIVE PEOPLE YOU STRONGLY ADMIRE?

Yes, of course, who doesn’t!

Kurt Jackson is one of them. He is a seascape and natural landscape painter. He was a huge inspiration at the start of my painting years. I was always so interested in his techniques and his energy. The way he is completely involved in the process of his work, but also working outdoors, in situ. My family and friends are very creative too. Mum and I were always going to exhibitions and shows together when I was younger.

A DREAM SURF TRIP TO ANYWHERE, WITH ANYONE ALIVE OR NOT. WHERE WOULD YOU GO, WHO WOULD YOU BE WITH AND WHAT WOULD YOU BE RIDING…?

Good question! I know what my boyfriend’s answer would be to that! But if I could choose anywhere, it would be Nihi Sumba with my surfing girls from Cornwall, my brother and boyfriend. I’ve always wanted to do a trip with Jose Pendergast and Marina Alonso so I would take them too! It would be lovely longboard waves all the way surfing my 9’2″. I would also love to surf with Robert August from Endless Summer. It would be cool to learn some classics.