Thomas Blackshear

Thomas Richman Blackshear II (born November 14, 1955)[1] is an African-American artist, many of whose paintings adorn Evangelical churches. He is also a sculptor and a designer of ornaments, often of African American themes.

Thomas Blackshear II
Thomas Blackshear II at work in his studio
Born
Thomas Richman Blackshear II

(1955-11-14) November 14, 1955
Waco, Texas, United States
OccupationArtist
Years active1987-present

Early life

Blackshear was born in Waco, Texas. He grew up in Atlanta, Georgia.

Blackshear attended the Art Institute of Chicago and then American Academy of Art in Chicago.

Blackshear worked for Hallmark Cards for one year after his 1977 graduation from the American Academy of Art.[2][3]

Career

Blackshear designed illustrations for numerous postage stamps issued by the United States Postal Service (USPS),[4] including four in the Black Heritage stamp series:[5]

A touring exhibit of his Black Heritage works premiered in 1992 at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.[7]

Other U.S. postage stamps with Blackshear illustrations include portraits of Joe Louis, Jelly Roll Morton and Thelonious Monk for the Jazz Series, and illustrations for stamps commemorating James Cagney, The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, Beau Geste and Stagecoach for the Classic Hollywood Movies series, as well as several stamps for Classic Movie Monsters. He also illustrated the USPS book I Have A Dream: A Collection of Black Americans on U.S. Postage Stamps (1991).[4]

Works and publications
  • Blackshear, Thomas (1993). The African American Tradition: Heroes of Our Heritages. Trumbull, CT: Greenwich Workshop, Inc. OCLC 34829260.
  • Blackshear, Thomas (painting by); Lessin, Roy (heart reflections written by) (1996). Forgiven: A Collection. Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Publications. ISBN 978-1-884-00988-4. OCLC 883406076.

References
  1. "Thomas Richman Ii Blackshear - Texas Birth Index". FamilySearch. 14 November 1955.
  2. "Thomas Blackshear - General News - News | The American Academy of Art (AAA)". www.aaart.edu. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  3. "Thomas Blackshear - Artists - Trailside Galleries". www.trailsidegalleries.com. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  4. Biographical notes Archived 2007-08-11 at the Wayback Machine, Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections. Accessed online 5 November 2006.
  5. Black Heritage Stamp Issues 1978 to 2002 Archived 2006-10-27 at the Wayback Machine, Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections. Accessed 5 November 5, 2006.
  6. Store, USPS. "USPS.com - Store". store.usps.com. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  7. Thomas Blackshear II, GreenwichWorkshop.com. Accessed online 5 November 2006.

Further reading
  • Jeff Sharlet (2005). "Soldiers of Christ: I. Inside America's most powerful megachurch". Harper's. 310 (1860): 41–54.. The article is illustrated with Blackshear's artwork.


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