Pretty Bad Portraits - a Talk with Patrick
published on August 11, 2025
You’ve definitely seen them, those slightly wonky, strangely charming portraits. Maybe you already have one on your feed. But do you know who’s actually behind Pretty Bad Portraits?
Meet Patrick. A former chef turned full-time creative, and honestly? As cool and chill as his art.
We bumped into him by chance at a coffee shop, and what started as a quick “do you have five minutes to chat?” turned into a full-on hangout with him and his partner Anica. He told us about life before the portraits, he and Anica ran a restaurant in Salzburg and even earned the prestigious drei Hauben recognition. But instead of feeling fulfilled, something felt off.
During a holiday in New York, he made a pretty bold decision: to leave it all behind. He’s the kind of person who needs to be fully in it, and if that’s not the case, it’s time to move on. From his time living in London, he knew there were other bubbles beyond gastronomy. Creative ones. Slower ones. And ones that don’t require perfection to feel meaningful.
That shift led him, almost accidentally into drawing. It started with a sketch for his brother, who hangs out at the Kerzenfabrik. Word got around (as it does in Salzburg), and suddenly, more people were asking for portraits. Fast forward a bit, and now he’s getting DMs from New York, the Philippines, and beyond.
The concept is simple: you send a photo, and he sends back a portrait. If you're cool with it, he shares it on Instagram. No overthinking. No second-guessing. Just drawing for the fun of it.
He had his first little show at workQspace, and not long after, Andy from Müllner & Töchter invited him to do a pop-up at the café. That’s where we met. Together, they even created a set of T-shirts through Andy’s label, Prost Shirts, with all profits going to Die Tafel.
And while Patrick avoids the word “artist”, he’s definitely got an artistic soul. Aside from the portraits, he also paints. His acrylic series leans into his past in gastronomy starting with one titled Fine dining is a scam. He’s got a few more in the works, and they’re as thought-provoking as you’d expect.
What struck me most about Patrick is how calm and content he seems. After years of chasing perfection, he now tries to draw his portraits in one go, no fixing, no erasing. Just the joy of creating. And it shows.
If you ask us, Pretty Bad Portraits might be one of Salzburg’s most lovable art project. Playful, honest, and a reminder that not everything has to be perfect to be memorable.
