Ellary Jones
[email protected] | @ellarypaints
Painting
Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Fiber, Mixed Media
Drawings / Concepts / Sketches
Graphite, Colored Pencil, Oil Pastel, Chalk Pastel Charcoal, Ink, Collage, Marker
Bio
Ellary Jones (Born Austin, TX, 2005) is a visual artist currently living and working in Chicago, whose work explores the tension in the grotesqueness of the human form. Drawing inspiration from historical art, as well as from horror and the macabre, their pieces evoke haunting atmospheres that blur the line between empathy and unease. Through expressive contrasts of color, texture, and form, Ellary examines emotional vulnerability, internal struggle, and the strange beauty of imperfection and disability through the medium of painting and drawing. They are currently studying painting at School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and plan to obtain their BFA in the Spring of 2027.
Artist Statement
I use the traditional language of painting and drawing to depict a space of tension in my work- between beauty and discomfort, history and immediacy, internal emotion and external form. Though I don’t set out to make “scary” art, my pieces often emerge with a haunting, unsettling quality that reflects my fascination with the eerie, the anatomical, and the distorted. I draw deeply from historical art movements like medieval and baroque, not only for their visual richness but for their unapologetic strangeness and drama. My process is intuitive and emotionally charged; I create for myself, yet I remain aware of how viewers react- sometimes with speculation, sometimes with empathy. I’m captivated by the power of color, line, and contrast to evoke atmosphere, to suggest an unspoken story or a quiet dread. Through consuming media- from horror films to music to literature- I explore my own psyche, questioning what it means to make meaningful art in a contemporary world that often demands explanation. Ultimately, my work is about coexistence: of pain and beauty, of past and present, of me and my audience.
CV
EDUCATION2027 Bachelor of Fine Arts, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago: Chicago, IL
2023 High School Diploma: McCallum High School and Fine Arts Academy: Austin, TXEMPLOYMENT2023 - Present Private Art Lesson Teacher, Self-Employed: Chicago, IL
2022 - 2023 Art Teacher’s Assistant, McCallum High School and Fine Arts Academy: Austin, TX
2021 - 2022 In-Store Team Member, Papa Johns: Austin, TX
2020 - 2021 Artist Studio/Gallery Assistant to Hannah Lee: Austin, TXAWARDS/HONORS2023 School of the Art Institute of Chicago Creative Honors Merit Scholarship: Chicago, IL
2023 Maine College of Art and Design Dean's Scholarship: Portland, MI
2023 Texas State Visual Art and Scholastic Event Award Recipient: TX
2020 National Art Honor Society, McCallum High School and Fine Arts Academy: Austin, TXSELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS2023 Texas Art Education Association State Visual Art and Scholastic Event, San Marcos High School: San Marcos, Texas
2023 Texas Art Education Association High School Visual Art and Scholastic Event, Pieper High School: San Antonio, Texas 2020 Austin Independent School District Fine Arts Showcase, High School Division, AISD Performing Arts Center: Austin, TX
2019 Texas Art Education Association Junior Visual Art and Scholastic Event, San Marcos High School: San Marcos, Texas
2018 Austin Independent School District Fine Arts Showcase, Middle School Division, AISD Performing Arts Center: Austin, TX
2019 Lamar Fine Arts Middle School and Fine Arts Academy Showcase, AISD Performing Arts Center: Austin, TX
Ellary Jones | [email protected] | @ellarypaints
Painting
Ellary Jones | [email protected] | @ellarypaints
Painting | 2025
"In-class study"
October 2025
12" x 10"
Oil on Stretched Linen
"In-class study"
September 2025
18" x 28"
Oil on Stretched Linen
"In-class study"
August 2025
20" x 30"
Oil on Stretched Linen
"Jason (In-class study)"
September 2025
8" x 10"
Oil on Stretched Linen
"In-class study"
August 2025
20" x 30"
Oil on Stretched Linen
"Self Portrait"
September 2025
50" x 30"
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas
"Roommate's Grandma's Barber's Dog"
May 2025
12" x 14"
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas
Ellary Jones | [email protected] | @ellarypaints
Painting | 2024
"Symposium"
October 2024-December 2025
8" x 10"
Embroidery Thread, Scrap Fabric
"Couch Cushions 2"
November 2024
Apr. 72" x 36"
Oil on Polyester, Acrylic Gesso, Cardboard, Embroidery Thread. Moveable Puppet.
"Catching Flies (one hour)"
October 2024
Apr. 14" x 14"
Oil on Wood Panel
"Three Fates (Mother, Maiden, Crone)"
October 2024
18" x 22"
Oil on Polyester, Embroidery Thread, Glitter
"Thing Two"
October 2024
2" x 3"
Oil on Lace, Salvaged Frame
"Thing One"
October 2024
2" x 3"
Oil on Snakeskin, Salvaged Frame
"Couch Cushions"
September 2024
18" x 10"
Oil on Wood Board
"Scene from Fall of Pompeii"
March 2024
18" x 24"
Acrylic on Canvas Board, Paint Samples, Acrylic Gloss
"Self Portrait (Can You Hear The Song?)"
March 2024
40" x 40"
Acrylic on Unstretched Canvas,
"Wendigo"
March 2024
20" x 28"
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas, Paper Clay, Acrylic Gloss
"Serbian Folklore"
February 2024
8" x 10"
Oil on Unstretched Canvas
"Still Life Study"
January 2024
16" x 20"
Oil on Wood Panel
Ellary Jones | [email protected] | @ellarypaints
Painting | 2023
"THE EYE HAS NO CONSCIENCE"
November - December 2023
54" x 72"
Oil, Acrylic, Oil Pastel, and Colored Pencil on Unstretched Canvas
Artist Book
8 Pages
8" x 10" - 8" x 5"
December 2023
Oil and Paper Text on Canvas, Drawing Board, Embroidery Thread, Raw Canvas, Glue
Artist Book #1
"Touch My Lung With Your Hand"
8" x 10"
December 2023
Oil and Paper Text on Canvas
Artist Book #2
"The Gift is to Be Seen"
December 2023
8" x 8"
Oil and Paper Text on Canvas
Artist Book #3
"Under the Nails Behind the Mind"
December 2023
8" x 5"
Oil and Paper Text on Canvas
Artist Book #4
"As the Comet Greet the Sky"
December 2023
8" x 7"
Oil and Paper Text on Canvas
Artist Book #5
"But There's No Warmth Here"
December 2023
8" x 5"
Oil and Paper Text on Canvas
Artist Book #6
"And Yet My Eyes Close and Beg For Blessing"
December 2023
8" x 5"
Oil and Paper Text on Canvas
Artist Book #7
"The More Perfect it is, the Less it is Kind"
December 2023
8" x 9"
Oil and Paper Text on Canvas
Artist Book #8
"Turn Away Your Bleary Eyes and Hide Your Shame"
8" x 10"
December 2023
Oil and Paper Text on Canvas
"Exquisite Corpse #2"
October 2023
10" x 14"
Oil on Painter's Board
"Exquisite Corpse #1"
October 2023
4" x 6"
Oil on Stretched Canvas
"Vital"
October 2023
20" x 30"
Oil on Stretched Canvas
"Saint Christo-Cat"
September 2023
8" x 10"
Oil on Stretched Canvas
"Timed Painting #1, 2:10"
September 2023
8" x 10"
Oil on Stretched Canvas
"Chip On My Shoulder"
May 2023
24" x 36"
Oil on Stretched Canvas
"When You Look in the Mirror, What Do You See?"
April 2023
5" x 7"
Oil on Stretch Canvas
"Old Bones"
March-April 2023
8" x 10"
Oil on Wood Panel
"Scary Getting Old"
February-March 2023
18" x 24"
Oil on Stretch Canvas
Ellary Jones | [email protected] | @ellarypaints
Painting | 2022
"The Hanged Man"
November 2022
16" x 24"
Oil on Wood Panel
"The Lovers"
October 2022
24" x 30"
Oil on Stretch Canvas
"The High Priestess"
August 2022
5" x 7"
Oil on Canvas Board
"Niche For a Heart"
April 2022
8" x 10"
Oil on Wood Panel, Linoleum Stamp
"Like a Religion"
March 2022
16" x 20"
Oil on Wood Panel, Linoleum Stamp
"To the Bone"
March 2022
24" x 20"
Oil on Wood Panel, Linoleum Stamp
"Untitled Portrait #3"
January 2022
18" x 24"
Oil on Stretched Canvas
Ellary Jones | [email protected] | @ellarypaints
Drawing
Ellary Jones | [email protected] | @ellarypaints
Drawing | 2025
"Jen (In-class study)"
April 2025
Apr. 25" x 25"
Charcoal on Butcher Paper
"In-class study"
April 2025
Apr. 25" x 25"
Charcoal on Brown Butcher Paper
"In-class study"
March 2025
18" x 24"
Oil Pastel on Mixed Media Paper
"In-class study"
March 2025
Graphite on Paper
"In-class study"
April 2025
18" x 24"
Graphite on Mixed Media Paper
"Rex (In-class study)"
February 2025
18" x 24"
Charcoal on Mixed Media Paper
"In-class study"
February 2025
18" x 24"
Charcoal on Mixed Media Paper
"In-class study"
January 2025
18" x 24"
Charcoal and Graphite on Mixed Media Paper
"In-class study"
January 2025
18" x 24"
Graphite on Mixed Media Paper
Ellary Jones | [email protected] | @ellarypaints
"Birthday Girl"
March 2024
Graphite on Paper, Watercolor
8" x 10"
"Mockup for Pompei"
March 2024
Brush Pen on Paper
Drawing | 2024
Ellary Jones | [email protected] | @ellarypaints
Drawing | 2023
"Dreamer"
November 2023
Oil Pastel on Paper
"Consciousness Still"
November 2023
Oil Pastel on Paper
"Cubism Test"
November 2023
Oil Pastel on Paper
"AbEx #1"
November 2023
Oil Pastel on Paper
"AbEx #2"
November 2023
Oil pastel on paper
"Collage Portrait #1"
October 2023
Collage (text, sheet music, colored pencil)
"Skull Response"
September 2023
Colored Graphite on Paper
"Life Drawing #3"
September 2023
Colored Graphite on Paper
"Life Drawing #2"
September 2023
Colored Graphite on Paper
"Chip Concept"
May 2023
Graphite, Charcoal on Paper
"Mirror Concept"
April 2023
Graphite on Paper
"Bones Concept"
March 2023
Graphite on Paper
"Skeleton"
February 2023
Graphite on Paper
"Lorelei Concept"
January 2023
Colored Pencil, Sharpie on Paper
Ellary Jones | [email protected] | @ellarypaints