Bloom Cycle

Painter, publisher, and reluctant treadmill user — Jake Vanden Berge makes emotionally charged work that blurs cinema, nostalgia, and found imagery. We caught up after his London show to talk flowers, books, and stepping in it.

You grew up in Whittier – what do you remember most vividly about your childhood?

Community. Suburbia. But on the edge of the city. Whittier had such a large and diverse group of friends, artists, musicians, and creatives. They taught me and introduced me to a lot growing up.

Were there early signs that you’d end up painting?

I don’t know about painting, but I always wanted to do something that required creativity.

“By juxtaposing two images, I can create a dialogue or narrative that transcends words.”

Some of your compositions feel like freeze-frames from a lost movie – stacked vertically like storyboards, or stretched out horizontally like tracking shots. Are you thinking cinematically when you paint?

Cinematic in a way that aims to evoke emotion without the need for dialogue. By juxtaposing two images, I can create a dialogue or narrative that transcends words. I find it fascinating how unrelated images can give rise to something entirely new and captivating.
A substantial part of my work revolves around the interplay of emotion and visual imagery.

Your recent London show had a striking title – I Made My Bed of Flowers and Now I Have to Step In It. Where did that phrase come from, and how did it shape the work?

It came from the spontaneous nature of the collaboration with LBF Contemporary Gallery. They reached out and told me they had a vacant space available in two months and wanted to showcase my work. I had just begun experimenting with a new format that combined printmaking with painting and found imagery.

While I was still unsure about this new direction, the opportunity was too good to pass up. They gave me only a month to fill the space and show my work in a city where I wasn’t really known. That made me feel incredibly vulnerable and unsure about presenting something untested. Very destructive and very pure. The title captured that feeling.

Tulips show up often in your paintings. Is there a symbolic thread behind them?

The tulips were just the start of me learning to paint. Some of the first things I ever attempted. Nothing deeper than that. And I think flowers are one of the most natural things for any artist to include. Everyone has a flower series.

What role does nostalgia play in your process?

Nostalgia is everything to me. It evokes a feeling I try to embed in the paintings or the imagery I choose.

You’ve collaborated on sound pieces and editions – are there other mediums or formats you’re drawn to exploring next?

I want to do everything I can. I don’t want to limit myself to just painting. I’d like to be an artist, not just a painter.

“Very destructive and very pure. The title captured that feeling.”

You keep a treadmill in your studio. Is movement part of your process, or just a way to reset between long hours at the canvas?

The treadmill was a recent addition. I’ve found myself sitting behind a desk most days because I do have a job outside of making my own work.

You’ve been working with Matt McCormick on the publishing imprint Highway Liaison. What drew you to the project, and what kind of work do you hope it brings into the world?

Matt and I have created and self-published close to 20 books together for his own practice over the years. We learned a lot from that. What we want now is to help create books for other artists in our community – people we know and love. Books are so important.

Seen any shows lately that really stayed with you?

Seeing Mike Kelley at the Tate while I was in London was perfect timing. It made me feel good about stepping into this space of being not just a painter, but an artist.

vandenbergestudio.com
@jakevandenberge