Blake Jones

Blake Jones’ whimsical, wide-eyed characters are woven into the fabric of Chicago life, multiplying like rabbits in galleries and public spaces across the city and beyond. 

Blake came of age in La Porte, Tex. and studied design at the Art Institute of Houston. He started out as a corporate and editorial illustrator for a Houston alternative newspaper, and when the publication shuttered, he briefly explored freelance design work before relocating to Chicago, where his cartoon-inspired, anthropomorphized universe took concrete shape. Blake’s playful characters, striking graphic line work and vivid color palettes are now immortalized across paintings, prints, sculptures, vinyl toys and murals, and he’s headlined solo exhibits in New York City, Tokyo and Hong Kong in addition to Vertical Gallery showcases like ‘Doublespeak,’ ‘Life Sketchbook,’ ‘Love Notes’ (opposite Chicago painter and printmaker Steve Seeley) and 2024’s ‘B-Sides,’ an experiential celebration of the artist’s lifelong passion for music. Blake also curated the 2023 Vertical group show ‘New in Town,’ and he returned to the gallery in early 2025 for ‘ALLIANCE,’ a unique collaborative exhibit pairing him with Yeka Haski, creator and lead designer of the animated series ‘Sonya from Toastville.’