After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University in 1998, Blakely Bering put her studies in costume and set design to direct use by working in opera design and television production around the united states, before returning to her home of texas. Transitioning from large-scale design to fine art was seamless and natural for her. Painting figurative abstractions and “blooms” at first, Blakely's art evolved into pure abstraction. Experimenting with techniques, mediums, and styles; the “oil slick” developed in 2006, recognized as Blakely's classic style. Reflecting on her theatrical sense, the artwork is powerful from thirty feet away. Inspired by her love of cooking, Blakely combines oils, powdered pigments, crushed metals, and secret ingredients, from scratch, to create her own paint mixtures. Her work is known not only for its beauty and sense of frozen movement but for its sustained ability over time.