JO BLAKELY
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Recent work, much of it exploring mental health, migration, climate change. Please inquire if interested. 

A white woman with long dark hair up in a full bun, wearing a gold emergency blanket, is holding a pink tulip by her nose & lips, behind her is a floral fabric with loosely drawn colorful flowers on a creamy white base.
Signs of Spring, 2026 Oil on Reclaimed Upholstery Fabric, wrapped around board, 8 x 10”
A white woman with dark short hair is wearing a gold emergency blanket over a white tee. The fabric she is painted on has a blue and green pagoda style building and some floral elements. On ivory white base. A portion of the background is on fire near the building leaving a small black hole. Smoke & small flames billow up.
Earth My Home Is Burning, 2026 Oil on Reclaimed Upholstery Fabric on Board. 25cm. sq. (9.4” sq.)
A woman with dark hair pulled back looks direct at viewer, reddish pink azalea flowers loosely painted from the fabric print, & additional added surround her.
Evergreen Azalea #2, 2026 Oil on Reclaimed Upholstery Fabric on Board, 6” sq.
The head of a white woman with chin length dark hair is seen from below, eyes looking downwards, head tilted to the side. She is immersed in the reddish pink azalea flowers painted like a sumi-e of the reclaimed fabric with black, on a neutral base.
Evergreen Azalea #1, 2026 Oil on Reclaimed Upholstery Fabric on Board, 6” sq.
A woman in profile seen slightly from below, hair in low bun, wearing a golden yellow robe looking pensive, disappointed, tired, on top of turquoise fabric base with red & white Chinese style pottery, leaves, lantern, umbrella, and a monkey in yellow costume and yellow rose from the fabric in the foreground. Top left corner is blackened and a portion of the background on fire & burned away.
As The World Burns, 2026 Oil on Reclaimed Upholstery Linen, wrapped around wood cradled panel, 8 x 10”
A woman with dark hair in a messy bun is naked and stands amid the blue & white florals and lilies of the fabric which cover her a bit. (We only see her from chest up). A section at the top is burning.
Garden Burning #2, 2026 Oil on Reclaimed Upholstery Fabric on Board, 8 x 10”
A white woman with short dark hair is looking direct at viewer. Her shirt and background have the upholstery fabric showing through of a monkey and a rose and a few smaller floral bits. A section of the background is burning and a hole created.
This Is Not Fine, 2026 Oil on Wood Panel with Upholstery Fabric, 8 x 10”
Fabric background is of stylized mountain mounds and various trees or plants inside each mound. A cartoon like lion figure is in one mound at the top left. A portion of the mountains in the back at the top right are on fire. A woman with short dark bob, wearing an emergency blanket in gold, like an evening gown is seen from chest up, between the mountains, a couple of which are painted in and help frame her. She looks in motion, hair blowing, and concerned.
Roar, 2026 Oil on Reclaimed Upholstery Fabric on Board, 25 cm. sq. (9.4”sq.)
An Asian woman with hair up, is immersed in the Chinese-inspired upholstery fabric as background and foreground featuring blue & white vases, flowers. At the bottom is a monkey from the fabric holding a bouquet of cut flowers that looks as if it’s being presented to her. She is looking instead at a portion of the top left corner of the background burning.
Cut Flowers, 2026 Oil on Reclaimed Upholstery Linen Wrapped Around Wood panel, 8 x 8”
A white woman with short dark hair wrapped cocoon like in an reflective emergency blanket, silver on outside, a bit of gold seen on inside, behind her is a soft red monochrome floral on an off white background. A portion in top corner burning. She is looking up at it somewhat plaintively, hopefully, at the destruction wondering what better thing could replace what was.
What Better Thing? 2026 Oil on Reclaimed Upholstery Fabric on Board, 25 cm/ 9.4” square
A woman with long red hair holds a variety of maps against her body as if it were clothing. The background is dark.
Home, 2026 Oil on Stretched Canvas, 16 x 20”
A woman with short red hair sits in large club style yellowish green armchair in 3/4 profile, head turn to the side towards viewer, eyes looking slightly down. A russet red pillow is behind her back. She is wearing a kaftan with flying geese quilt pattern in russet red, light & dark grays, off-white. In her hands on her lap is an origami crane. Behind her a picture representing a map of the world.
Seeking Peace, 2026 Oil on Wood 6 x 8”
Woman wearing emergency blanket in front of Portolan style map.
A Sense of Direction, 2024 Oil on Board, 25cm. sq.
A beautiful white woman with dark cropped curly hair is wearing a gold & silver emergency blanket with gold on the outside and it shaped on her like a fancy cloak with a silver high collar. She has her arms around & protective of a young child, maybe 7 or so, also wearing an emergency blanket, with only the silver side seen. The child is facing us looking direct. The woman has eyes also direct with a suspicious, but strong look. Behind is a building wall in dark grey with a large map on it, a tiny portion of it burning.
What We Love, We Protect, 2026 Oil on Watercolor Paper, 9 x 12”
A white hand with fingers splayed clutching a piece of silver grey emergency blanket twisted.
Twister, 2026 Oil on Canvas Board, 6 x 8”
Two white feminine hands holding a ball of caution tape in yellow & black stripes, without lettering. One hand is above the ball of tape, the other is below.  Behind is a grey backdrop, portions of which are burning away, with black behind.
There Were Warnings, 2026 Oil on Canvas Board, 7 x 9”
A woman with shoulder length red hair wearing a purple top is walking forward holding a burning match. Behind her is a green banner that reads “Patriarchy” in lighter green letters in all caps, that is burning. Her eyes turn to see the flames devouring the banner.
Match Made In Heaven, 2026 Oil on Board, 12 x 12”
A beautiful woman with very short black hair with tight curls is looking face on, with a gold emergency blanket wrapped around her, one hand clutching an edge. Behind is a pastoral landscape scene less realistically painted in greens, with a rosy sunrise sky.
Dawn in a Safe Place, 2026 Oil on Canvas Paper
A white woman seen from shoulders up, in 3/4 profile and looking to the side she is facing, has her hair in a messy bun, with tendrils framing her face. The bun is held by a yellow caution tape, with ends that trail down her back. She has a golden circle halo around her head. The background is a darkish green with grey blues.
Cassandra, 2026 Oil on Watercolor paper, 10 x 15cm/6 x 8”
A beautiful white woman with short dark curly hair seen from shoulders up, leans her head on her hand. She wears a gold emergency blanket, with part formed into a high collar, making it look like a gold cloak. Behind is a dark green background with a few lines of gold like kintsugi.
Kintsugi, 2026 Oil on Paper, 7 x 7”
White woman with long dark hair, looking annoyed, arms crossed, wearing a gold emergency blanket like a robe. Behind her is a large globe map of both hemispheres with a large compass rose in gold behind her head like a halo or crown.
Navigating, 2024 Oil on Masonite 18 x 24”
Painting of a white woman looking to the side a bit, with short dark hair with an emergency blanket in gold wrapped around her, looking like a one shoulder gown. Behind her are clouds and above her head is a huge boulder floating.
The Weight Oil on Paper, 11 x 14”
Painting of an Asian woman short dark hair, wearing a grey party dress, hands in lap, seated on a bench with red Persian rug and Chinese pillows. Behind is a grey drop cloth, which has caught on fire in places.
Smokescreen (inspired by a pastel piece by Judy Drew) Oil on Paper, 9x12", 2022
A woman wearing an emergency blanket and a gold chain with an engraved compass design on it, behind a part of a round globe map
My Heart is my Compass, 2024 Oil on Board, 9.8”sq.
Painting of a beautiful white woman, facing forward & seen from shoulders up with dark chin length hair, eyes closed, looking like she is resting, head tilted up, sunlight hitting face with neck stretched forward in shadow. A gold emergency blanket is wrapped around her shoulders. Behind is a green color block over grey blue. It looks like an edge of the green in top corner is torn & beginning to burn revealing the blue grey underneath. Painted in chiaroscuro, expressionistically realistic.
A light Oil on board, 10” sq.
A white woman with short, dark curly hair seen from shoulders up, wearing a gold emergency blanket. A suggestion of a dark evening landscape behind in blue green tones. Colors are blues, green, golden yellows, and a hint of dark crimson red. Sitting in profile but head turned, and eyes looking to side & down. Seen slightly from below.
Resistance Oil on Board, 10” sq.
A woman with dark hair is in a seated swagger pose, head up, looking at viewer, her legs are manspreading, wearing a gold emergency blanket. She is holding an uprooted Bonsai Pine Tree. Behind her is a quilt pattern with the Morning Star pattern & Circles of Geese using the ‘flying geese quilting block’ in golds, ivory, and a rusty red and dark blue grey base. Flanking the quilt are large blue vases with images of white clouds and flying cranes, filled with gladiola in red and yellow colors. At her feet are a bunch of red danger tapes but so dark and mixed up you can hardly see them, and the green bench she is on is bordered with yellow caution tapes. One like piping.
Uprooted - Flying Geese Series, 2025 24 x 36” Acrylic on MDF Board
A woman has her head and shoulders covered with a gold emergency blanket.she is looking down slightly. The background is dark black.
Untitled, 2025 Oil on Panel 11 cm (4.33”) sq.
A woman Sean with emergency blanket held around her shoulders with one hand, behind is colorful Kilim with various symbols, birds & an upward arrow most noticeable.
Nomad, 2024 Oil on Canvas
Ebisu painted as a woman wesring a lot of symbolic fashion, including a boro skirt and the goggles and white headwrap of Ama pearl divers, sitting in a boat surrounded by fish. Flags move behind her
Ebisu - Shichifukujin series. Oil on Canvas, 36x48, 2021 Available
Portrait of an androgynous person, head tilted, eyes to the side, looking at something we can't see. Colors are black, greys, greens, blue and a pop of yellow, and skin tone is warm.
The Regard, Oil on Masonite 9x12” 2023, (Sold)
A white woman seen from back in face profile, naked but wearing a blue and white striped fabric around her waist, and a headscarf tied to look a bit like a bird of paradise flower in orange, blue and purple. She is seated on a rock in the water within a forest glade, her feet (and fabric) emerged in the water. A glimpse of orange fish is seen in the water.
Bird of Paradise - Glade Oil on Canvas 24 x 30” 2024
Painting of daomadan (female warrior) from Peking Opera. She is looking side eyed and sneering.
Daomadan - Oil on Canvas Paper, 12 x 16, 2021
A woman wearing a silvery grey scarf knotted to the side, a colorful pink green, grey and white top, painted loosely, and very large beads around her neck. She is sitting on a suggestion of a patterned banquet which divides the background, and above is floral paper. Overall the painting is very patterned and busy, but her face is quiet and peaceful looking, she has very rosy cheeks and long dark hair we see under the scarf a bit on one side.
Seer Oil on Masonite, 9x12, 2023 (Sold)
Lower tangled trunk of a tree with sunlit white bark, showing many branches and at the base, tangled up among the trunk branches is yellow caution tape.
Caution Tape, 2023 Oil on Canvas, 24 x 36”
Woman peeking coyly behind collar of a big black coat, loosely painted suggestions of koi fish and a gold waterfall on the coat.
Koi, Suiseki Series Digital Painting.
Back view of curvy dark skinned woman standing nude in water, to bum, hip jutted out, hair blowing in wind, gold necklace stream trails along her back.
Wind & Water-Suiseki Series. Digital Painting.
A man and woman each wearing dark robes stand facing each other in profile with a mountain of gold bricks between. She has a collar like a judge and a gold ribbon that connects her to the sky. The each have one hand on the gold.
The Gold Between, Suiseki Series Digital Painting.
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  • Portraits
  • Still Life & Interiors
  • Personal Work
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