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African-American artist From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thomas Richman Blackshear II (born November 14, 1955)[1] is an African-American artist whose paintings adorn many Evangelical churches. He is also a sculptor and a designer of stamps and ornaments, often with African American or Western themes.
Thomas Blackshear II | |
|---|---|
Thomas Blackshear II at work in his studio | |
| Born | Thomas Richman Blackshear II November 14, 1955 Waco, Texas, United States |
| Occupation | Artist |
| Years active | 1987-present |
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]
Blackshear designs have been a featured in the Smithsonian, museum collections, postage stamps and music albums.
Blackshear's illustrations for numerous postage stamps have issued by the United States Postal Service (USPS).[4][5][6]
A touring exhibit of his Black Heritage works premiered in 1992 at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.[8] Blackshear also illustrated the USPS book I Have A Dream: A Collection of Black Americans on U.S. Postage Stamps (1991).[4]
Multiple pieces of Blackshear's artwork serve as the cover art for American rock band The Killers's sixth studio album Imploding the Mirage (2020) and its singles. Blackshear's original oil paintings in the Western Nouveau genre similar to “Dance of the Wind and Storm” and the other pieces used for The Killers's album can be found at the Broadmoor Galleries in Colorado Springs. Blackshear also created video game box art, including Karateka (1984).[9]
Thomas Blackshear's oil painting Forgiven (1991) is in the collection of the Museum of Biblical Art, Dallas.[10] His oil painting Now What? (2008) is in the collection of the Booth Western Art Museum.[11] Blackshear's paintings are often featured at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.[12][13][14]
Blackshear and his wife, Ami Beth Smith, met through the American Academy of Art College, Chicago. The couple have one son and reside in Colorado Springs, Colorado.[15][16]
Thomas Blackshear has been a Christian since he was a young man. He credits his marriage and artistic success to God, “So many things that have come my way during my career are blessings from God.”[16]
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