In his early mixed-media series, American Vacations (2007–2009), Jensen-Nagle explores the nostalgia of childhood summers and the romanticized memories we associate with travel, leisure and escape. Inspired by vintage vacation postcards and his own experiences growing up along the New Jersey shore, the series reflects on the idealized imagery of the American holiday and our enduring desire to return to simpler, more carefree moments.

Beginning with vintage postcards, Jensen-Nagle paints directly onto the images before re-photographing and enlarging them, transforming familiar scenes of crowded beaches, swimming pools and seaside resorts into dreamlike compositions. Faded colours, weathered textures and softened details blur the boundaries between photography and painting, creating images that feel like distant memories, both familiar and just beyond reach.

Beneath their playful, sun-drenched surfaces, these works explore the relationship between memory and reality, and the way we romanticize moments of happiness long after they have passed. American Vacations marks an important chapter in Jensen-Nagle’s early practice, establishing his fascination with nostalgia, escapism and the emotional connection between people and place, themes that continue to define his work today.