Dirt Cobain never had to “get into art”—as he puts it, “art was always inside of me.” Born in San Jose, California, he grew up sketching obsessively and taking weekend trips into San Francisco, where the culture of the city left a lasting imprint. Though art was his passion through high school, his twenties were consumed by partying and distraction. It wasn’t until his thirties, while living near Los Angeles’ Melrose and Fairfax intersection—a hub for the rising street art scene—that Cobain recommitted to his practice. Inspired and provoked by the work around him, he began pasting his own unsigned pieces, cultivating the mystique he felt street art demanded.

A pivotal moment came in 2014, when Cobain entered rehab in Denver. There, he began sketching pill bottles—drawings that transformed into his defining motif. Both personal and universal, the pill bottle reflected addiction, recovery, and modern coping mechanisms. Paired with darkly humorous slogans like “U Get Me So High” and “I’m Gonna Need a Xanax for This,” the imagery resonated widely for its raw honesty. 

Over the years, Cobain’s pill bottles have moved from walls and canvases into fashion, continuing a passion that began in 2004 with DIY “Dirty” t-shirts. Inspired by skate and surf brands like Santa Cruz and Stussy, he has designed dozens of shirts and collaborated with labels including Doc Martens and Alice + Olivia. In 2023, his work was featured at New York Fashion Week—a milestone he describes as “beyond a dream come true.”

Bio courtesy of UP magazine @up__mag