Jimmy Breen working on a mural he completed for Vertical Ventures in St. Petersburg. This piece would be his last.
Rachel Jolley
It was rare to see Jimmy Breen without a mustache-framed smile on his face.
The 37-year-old muralist and illustrator is a household name in the St. Petersburg arts community, and on June 20, he was reported dead. The cause of death has not been publicly released.
To the people close to him, Breen was a source of light in an already sunny city.
“He used to say to me and probably others … ‘love you baby’!” said Breen’s close friend Stephen Schrutt. “That’s something I can hear him say when I think of him. He was just himself.”
Breen worked a full-time gig with Warner Bros. as a merchandise illustrator for items like t-shirts and posters. A lucrative career with a name like Warner Bros. isn’t a bad situation for an artist, but Breen stayed involved in the local life.
Schrutt, the owner of Hunger + Thirst Group, a restaurant group that operates Avenue Eat + Drink, Park & Rec, and No Vacancy, met Breen more than 10 years ago at a testimonial video interview for a marketing agency Breen worked with.
“I thought he was a very genuine and smart young guy who was filled with positive energy,” Shrutt said. “We used to do these burger-of-the-month videos and he would always get me hyped up, like I was a food network personality.”
Work was work, but the two became close.
“I think he was the true definition of how people will always remember how you make them feel,” Shrutt said. “He’s a local legend and made the art community and city better, no doubt!”
“He believed anything was possible,” said Jenee Priebe. “Working with Jimmy, anything felt possible.”
Rachel Jolley
Breen was the talented hand behind Pinellas staple murals such as the Lucky You mural on Central, the You Good? piece on Sunshine Kitty Catfe, the No Vacancy artwork, and many others. In Gulfport, his company, Wax & Hive, did much of the interior art.
Though he was known as a muralist, Breen moved to the Tampa Bay area to attend the University of South Florida for graphic design. He eventually opened Wax & Hive, a St. Pete creative design company that he co-owned with Anthony Freese.
The group disbanded during COVID-19, but many remember his role, including SHINE Mural Festival director Jenee Priebe. Priebe met Breen in in 2019 after SHINE partnered with Wax & Hive. That year, the two painted the Lucky You mural as a symbol of luck and the gratitude they felt to live in St. Petersburg.
“He was so kind, so generous, so incredibly positive all the time,” Priebe said. “He approached everything with an open mind.”
Along with a long list of family and friends, Breen left behind his wife, Julia Breen.
The family is in the process of assembling a community gathering on July 23, what would have been Breen’s 38th birthday. The details are still in the works.
His family asks that in lieu of flowers, those who want to pay their respects can send a donation to the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance, a 501 (c)3 nonprofit close to the St. Pete local’s heart.
“He was a true artist who was just his true self at all times and so damn talented,” Shrutt said.
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