10 Questions with Jake Kenobi - Spring Break Jake

Spring Break Jake (aka Jake Kenobi, b. 1989) is a self-taught painter and mixed media artist based in Bend, OR. His work has been shown throughout the US West Coast, including solo shows in Bend, Portland, Encinitas, and San Luis Obispo, group shows in Bend, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, and juried art fairs in Seattle, San Francisco, Reno, and LA.

Recently, Jake was interviewed for Seen Art’s podcast and Have You Seen? series and held an artist talk at The Purple Door Gallery with his actual therapist. He has also participated in a panel discussion on the impact of art on health and well-being at the Reno Tahoe International Art Show, led youth art workshops in collaboration with the High Desert Museum, and has been featured in numerous publications such as Vanity Fair UK, British GQ, Create! Magazine, Bend Magazine, and Cascade A&E.

springbreakjake.com | @springbreak.jake

ARTIST STATEMENT

Spring Break Jake uses the inevitability of death as motivation to reveal the inner oceans of mental health by creating darkly tropical work that focuses on vulnerability, illuminating the unseen parts of ourselves and encouraging an acceptance of both the good and the bad, the light and the dark. From the adherence of found materials to the sculptural effect of thickened acrylic paint, the work’s themes are reflected in his unique illustrative technique on top of textured layers of gestural abstraction, a physical representation of our often tumultuous minds. Through the repeated symbolism of death on holiday, Jake’s art ultimately recognises that while no one gets out of this life alive, we can all find paradise along the way.

Sleep And His Half Brother Death, Acrylic, Oil, Pastel, White Charcoal, Found Material, 48x64 in, 2025 © Jake Kenobi

INTERVIEW

Let's start from the basics. You're a self-taught artist. How did your journey into painting and mixed media begin?

This journey started before I can even remember! I've been drawing and painting since early childhood, and it's been with me in some form throughout my whole life. I've gone down some tangential paths into graphic design, illustration, and murals before finding my way back to drawing and painting, but some form of creative expression or having a creative outlet has always been with me.

What drew you to the combination of painting and found materials in your work?

Simply put, texture. I find I'm very drawn to paintings with really thick, obvious textures and depth, so I start pretty much all my pieces in almost a sculptural way by adding many layers of found material before I even begin painting.

Handle With Care, Acrylic, White Charcoal, 24x18 in, 2025 © Jake Kenobi

Your style blends abstraction with illustrative details. How did you develop this visual language?

I knew I wanted my work to convey the feelings we often internalise and never share. The backgrounds and painted texture in a lot of my pieces are created in an abstract expressionist style to be able to see through the illustrated elements that are essentially revealing what's underneath.

Themes of mental health and vulnerability are central to your practice. What inspired you to explore these subjects?

Therapy! Working on my own mental health and getting more and more comfortable with vulnerability has had profoundly positive impacts on my life, so I wanted to share those impacts and themes through my paintings.

Can you share more about the recurring imagery of "death on holiday" and what it represents in your art?

My happiest memories were family trips to Florida for spring break, so even at 36, the idea of being on a beautiful tropical vacation still looms large in my mind as being representative of the good parts of life. However, I recognise that while I might be in paradise, the fullness of life still takes place outside of my tourist lens. Basically, the idea of death on holiday became the simplified way for me to visually convey the contrast and contradictions that make up the human experience. Everything is temporary, and we simply can't have the good without the bad. Truly accepting those facts can bring a lot of inner peace to our lives when times inevitably get tough.

Walk us through your creative process. How does a piece usually start and evolve?

In terms of coming up with ideas, I honestly get a lot of inspiration from the big stuff my therapist and I get into. I know I want to create work based on deeply human emotions and experiences, which obviously are the sort of things that come up in therapy!
Otherwise, my process can change a bit from painting to painting, but a lot of them start out digitally. A perk of all the freelance illustration work I've done is that I've gotten very comfortable with different drawing and painting apps, so oftentimes I'll sketch/plan out pieces digitally so I know the direction I'm going when I'm able to get into the studio. From there, it's a lot of playing with texture and tweaking the composition until the idea comes to life!

You've shown your work across the West Coast. How has the art community received your work? And what have you learned from these experiences?

Really well! I'm super grateful to have had amazing shows in LA, San Francisco, and Portland, to name a few. Even if sales haven't been crazy, I've had incredible conversations with people all over who deeply connect with, understand, and feel seen by my work. It's a wonderful feeling.
One thing I've learned is to never judge a potential buyer by their "cover." I don't know how many times I've been at an art fair or show and essentially seen someone dressed just like me who I would guess might like my work, only to watch them cruise right past it. Meanwhile, someone I may not have expected comes by and buys the biggest piece!

Your work connects art with well-being, including youth workshops and panel discussions. Why is this intersection important to you?

I basically make the work I needed as a kid/teen, so if I can give even a tiny percentage of the younger generations the feeling of being understood through art, this will all be worth it.

Thoughts Where My Face Used To Be, Acrylic, 26x24 in, 2025 © Jake Kenobi

Without The Sun Were Only Shadows, Acrylic, 26x24 in, 2025 © Jake Kenobi

What future projects or directions are you excited to pursue in your art?

I've been doing a lot of learning and exploration around the subject of melancholy. I think it's one of those feelings that society has deemed "bad" or "negative" or something to be avoided, but I think there's a lot of beauty to be found in those heightened states of emotion. I'm hoping sometime in the near future to create a new exhibition around those themes.

Lastly, looking ahead, what personal or artistic goals do you hope to achieve in the next stage of your career?

Well, to be super transparent, more sales! So far in my life, painting is the most fun and fulfilling thing I've ever pursued, and it's something I feel like I absolutely have to chase as my full-time career, which means figuring out a sustainable and reliable way to make a living from it.
But beyond the boring business side of things, my goal is to keep digging deeper into the strange mystery that is being human, hopefully getting down into the very nature of reality and creating art that connects it all.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.

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