These days, it seems like you can’t hit the town without seeing a mural by artist Pretty Done. The Las Vegan’s striking, freestyle line work graces walls at the Valley’s hippest spots, such as Area15 and Fergusons Downtown.
Pretty Done’s real name is Adam Rellah, but you might know him by his other persona, Adam the DJ or DJ Adam. Music brought Rellah to Las Vegas, and he has performed at Strip venues including Encore Beach Club, Surrender, Tryst, Intrigue, Tao, SLS, Mama Rabbit and On the Record.
During 14 years as a professional DJ, Rellah has also created visual art in his free time. “I’ve always loved characters and patterns, faces and logos … graphic design and photography,” Rellah says. “With art and drawing, it starts with doing it when no one cares—no one’s looking and no one’s paying you.”
Pretty Done and his Marquee Dayclub mural
Music and art mingle and build upon each other in Rellah’s brain. “They are kind of one and the same to me sometimes,” he says. “Music is rhythm, tastes, beats, creating a journey sonically. Artwork is the same. I paint to a rhythm. I paint to a beat. Music is always an infinite inspiration for ideas.”
In addition to murals, Rellah does graphic design and illustration, making pen & paper drawings, logos, fliers, sticker designs and even a poster for the Life Is Beautiful festival.
The brand of Pretty Done has slowly grown in prominence over the past decade. But it took the enforced isolation of the pandemic, when Rellah could no longer work as a DJ, to shift his focus to visual art. “Last year, 2020, was my best year,” he says. “Every day it’s just growing and growing. It’s still a long way to go. There’s a whole world out there that doesn’t know about Pretty Done.”
And his goal is nothing short of global domination. “I want to paint the world,” Rellah says. “I want to have art in different countries—art shows, sculptures, animation. I want to paint a plane. I want to do an air balloon—big scale. Do festivals and music videos. There’s a whole list of things that I’m trying to accomplish on this mission.”
Whenever Rellah faces a blank wall or canvas, he prefers an improvisational approach. He makes it up as he goes, starting on one corner and working his way until he has filled the whole wall with shapes, squiggles and designs. Some of his visual themes include smiley faces, dinosaurs and fun characters.
“That’s the most exciting, most fun to me—it’s unpredictable,” Rellah says. “I love pressure. I love going up to a wall and just going off. It’s one of the most exhilarating feelings. It’s like a little roller coaster.”
Rellah is a night owl, but on a recent evening, he’s preparing to wake up at noon—early for him—to paint a large mural at Marquee Dayclub at the Cosmopolitan. “This one’s gonna be really fun. It’s gonna be very colorful—flowers and love and party and drinks, disco and dancing and a lot of different elements in the design, which I’m going to freestyle and just make it up on the spot.” (Rellah has since completed the mural; you can watch it being made on Instagram @prettydone.)
As Rellah/DJ Adam/Pretty Done works towards his future, you can count on one thing: evolution. “You can’t be the same person you were last year,” Rellah says. “You have to develop and keep growing and getting better.”
Exterior murals
• 7th St. and Carson Ave.
• Alley and back area at Fergusons Downtown, 1028 E. Fremont St.
• Absinthe courtyard at Caesars Palace
Interior murals
• Area15 (including Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart, Rocket Fizz candy shop and Emack & Bolio’s ice cream shop), 3215 S. Rancho Drive
• Bungalow Coffee, 201 E. Charleston Blvd. #180
• Discopussy nightclub, 512 E. Fremont St.
• Majestic Repertory Theatre, 1217 S. Main St.
• Makers & Finders, Downtown Summerlin & 1120 S. Main St.
• Marquee Dayclub, the Cosmopolitan
