Jo Holdsworth is an award-winning contemporary British artist known for her paintings of elongated and reflected figures, often in blue and grey tones.

Jo takes inspiration from the city’s ever-changing landscape and urban city views, as well as coastal reflections at low tide. Her uplifting and unique paintings often include silhouetted figures, combining a subtle color palette with loose, spontaneous brushwork.

Jo’s artistic influences are far-ranging. They include the American realist painters of the early twentieth century, in particular George Bellows, and the atmospheric paintings of Edward Hopper. Jo also cites LS Lowry as an important inspiration, as well as early Twentieth-Century photographers such as Paul Strand. More recently, Jo has reconnected with her love of impressionism and has been intensely inspired by impressionist and post-impressionist painters of France and beyond, as reflected in the evolving color palette and painterly aspects of Jo’s recent works.

Jo exhibits widely, including in highly acclaimed solo and group shows. She was delighted to receive the accolade of Royal Arts Prize Visitor’s Choice Award Winner, and her joint Award Winners’ Show was presented at the Royal Opera Arcade Gallery, Pall Mall, London, in March 2020.

Jo’s most recent series of paintings focuses on French scenes and explores Jo’s love of French art history. Each piece is inspired by the places in France where iconic painters throughout the ages have lived or worked. The paintings also explore color palettes used by particular painters or art movements.

Growing up, Jo’s family had a house in Provence in the South of France. Jo fell in love with France and has always been enthralled by the views painted by French artists and the eclectic streets and magnificent countryside captured in their works.

Recently selected for the prestigious Young Masters Art Prize 2025, Jo’s work has appeared on book, album, and magazine covers and is held in public and private collections in the UK and around the world, including Cambridge University and the Rudolph Blume Foundation in the United States.

Jo’s distinctive paintings attract a loyal following and carry a strong message of hope for the future. Her distinctive paintings are sourced by art consultants and interior designers for some wonderful spaces, and she regularly undertakes commissions.

Jo is also on the judging panel for Young Wimbledon Artists, encouraging art and artists of the future.