On this week’s episode of Finding Friends, host Christina Lee and co-host Catie Wilkes sit down with the enigmatic, masked artist behind J-Blood Art — a tattooer who paints with his own blood.

J shares how his blood paintings started as curious experiments, why he keeps such clear boundaries around his personal life, and what it means to create art that might only be fully understood long after he’s gone. He talks about leaving his old career as a corrections officer, becoming a full-time tattoo artist, and building a private studio experience that focuses on safety, psychology, and true bedside manner.

We dive into his book Ramblings of a Madman, which pairs his paintings with raw journal entries, the science and experimentation behind preserving blood on canvas, and how people project fear, “satanic” labels, and their own beliefs onto his work. J also opens up about fatherhood, legacy, and the kind of love and loyalty he wants his daughter to recognize and expect.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How J-Blood Art began painting with his own blood
• Why he wears a mask and separates the persona from the person
• The ethics, safety, and psychology behind his tattoo studio
• How scent, ritual, and a signature cocktail shape the client experience
• The story and structure of Ramblings of a Madman
• How BookTok discovered him (and what they sometimes get wrong)
• His definition of real friendship, understanding, and legacy

Content note: This episode includes discussion of blood, medical topics, and tattoos (no graphic descriptions).

Hosted by: Christina Lee & Catie Wilkes
Podcast: Finding Friends

Connect with J-Blood Art

🔗 TikTok: @jbloodart
🔗 Instagram: @jbloodart
🔗 Book: Ramblings of a Madman – linked in his bio