View source for Thomas Blackshear

{{Short description|African-American artist}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Thomas Blackshear II
| image         = Blackshear portrait.jpg
| alt           = 
| caption       = Thomas Blackshear II at work in his studio
| birth_name    = Thomas Richman Blackshear II
| birth_date    = {{birth date and age|1955|11|14}}
| birth_place   = [[Waco, Texas]], United States
| death_date    = 
| death_place   = 
| nationality   = 
| other_names   = 
| occupation    = Artist
| years_active  = 1987-present
| known_for     = 
| notable_works = 
}}
'''Thomas Richman Blackshear II''' (born November 14, 1955)<ref name=FamilySearch-TXBirthIndex-1955>{{cite web|title=Thomas Richman Ii Blackshear - Texas Birth Index|url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VDX5-SFV|website=[[FamilySearch]]|date=14 November 1955}}</ref> is an [[African Americans|African-American]] artist whose [[painting]]s adorn many [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]] churches. He is also a [[sculptor]] and a designer of stamps and [[Ornament (architecture)|ornament]]s, often with African American or [[Western American Art|Western]] themes.

== Early life ==
Blackshear was born in [[Waco, Texas]]. He grew up in [[Atlanta, Georgia]]. He attended the [[Art Institute of Chicago]] and then [[American Academy of Art]] in [[Chicago]].

After his 1977 graduation from the American Academy of Art, Blackshear worked for [[Hallmark Cards]] for one year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Thomas Blackshear - General News - News {{!}} The American Academy of Art (AAA) |url=http://www.aaart.edu/thomas-blackshear/ |website=www.aaart.edu |access-date=27 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Thomas Blackshear - Artists - Trailside Galleries |url=http://www.trailsidegalleries.com/artists/thomas-blackshear |website=www.trailsidegalleries.com |access-date=27 December 2018}}</ref>

== Career ==
Blackshear designs have been a featured in the Smithsonian, museum collections, postage stamps and music albums. 

Blackshear's illustrations for numerous [[postage stamp]]s have issued by the [[United States Postal Service]] (USPS).<ref name="esper-bio" /><ref name="USPS-historian 2020 May" /><ref name="ESPER-BH-stamps" />
{{div col|colwidth=50em}}
: Black Heritage series, initiated in 1978:
<ol type="1" start="1">
<li> [[Jean Baptiste Point du Sable]] – 22¢ – issued February 20, 1987 ({{nowrap|[[Scott catalogue|Scott]] 2249}})
<li> [[James Weldon Johnson|James W. Johnson]] – 22¢ – issued February 2, 1988 ({{nowrap|[[Scott catalogue|Scott]] 2371}})
<li> [[Asa Philip Randolph]] – 25¢ – issued February 3, 1989 ({{nowrap|[[Scott catalogue|Scott]] 2402}})
<li> [[Ida B. Wells]] – 25¢ – issued February 1, 1990 ({{nowrap|[[Scott catalogue|Scott]] 2442}})
<li> [[Dorothy Height]] – 49¢ ([[Non-denominated postage#Forever stamps|Forever stamp]]) – issued February 2, 2017—in conjunction with Lateef Mangum  ({{nowrap|[[Scott catalogue|Scott]] 474304}})<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://store.usps.com/store/browse/uspsProductDetailMultiSkuDropDown.jsp?categoryNavIds=buy-stamps&categoryNav=false&navAction=push&navCount=0&atg.multisite.remap=false&categoryId=buy-stamps&productId=S_474304|title=USPS.com - Store|last=Store|first=USPS|website=store.usps.com|language=en|access-date=2017-02-28}}</ref></ol>
: Single:
<ol type="1" start="6">
<li> [[Joe Louis]] – 29¢ – issued June 22, 1993</ol>
: {{Hanging indent |text=Legends of American Music, Jazz Musicians series: Ten single 32¢ stamps issued September 16, 1995. The production was designed by [[Dean Mitchell]] and illustrated by Blackshear.}}
<ol type="1" start="7">
<li> [[Eubie Blake]]
<li> [[Jelly Roll Morton]]
<li> [[James P. Johnson]]
<li> [[Erroll Garner]]
<li> [[Thelonious Monk]]
<li> [[Coleman Hawkins]]
<li> [[Charlie Parker]]
<li> [[John Coltrane]]
<li> [[Louis Armstrong]]
<li> [[Charles Mingus]]</ol>

: {{Hanging indent |text=Hollywood's Golden Era Movie series: Four stamps, printed in one block, were dedicated March 23, 1990, in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] as a prelude to the [[62nd Academy Awards]]. 1990 marked the 50th anniversary of each film's having received nominations in 1939 for the 1940 Academy Awards. Each stamp resembles a miniature [[Film poster|movie poster]]. Clockwise from the upper left: }}
<ol type="1" start="17">
<li> ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]''
<li> ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]''
<li> ''[[Stagecoach (1939 film)|Stagecoach]]''
<li> ''[[Beau Geste (1939 film)|Beau Geste]]''</ol>
: {{Hanging indent |text= Classic Movie Monsters: Five movie monsters issued September 30, 1997, in a pane of twenty 32¢ stamps. The [[Selvage#In printing and philately|selvage]] contains a photograph of each actor and his signature. The production was designed by Derry Noyes (whose father is the late architect [[Eliot Noyes]]) and illustrated by Blackshear. }}
<ol type="1" start="21">
<li> [[Bela Lugosi]] as [[Dracula (1931 English-language film)|Dracula]]
<li> [[Lon Chaney]] as [[The Phantom of the Opera (1925 film)|The Phantom of the Opera]]
<li> Lon Chaney, Jr., as [[The Wolf Man (1941 film)|The Wolf Man]]
<li> [[Boris Karloff]] as [[The Mummy (1932 film)|The Mummy]]
<li> [[Boris Karloff]] as [[Frankenstein (1931 film)|Frankenstein's monster]]</ol>
: Stars of stage and screen
<ol type="1" start="26">
<li> [[James Cagney]] – single – 33¢ – issued July 22, 1999 (designed by Howard Paine, illustrated by Blackshear)</ol>
: Literary Arts:
<ol type="1" start="27">
<li> [[James Baldwin]] – single – 37¢ – issued June 24, 2004</ol>
: Nobel Peace Prize / humanitarian
<ol type="1" start="28">
<li> [[Mother Teresa]] – issued September 5, 2010</ol>
{{div col end}}


A touring exhibit of his Black Heritage works premiered in 1992 at the [[Smithsonian Institution]]'s [[National Museum of American History]].<ref>[http://www.greenwichworkshop.com/studio/studio_artist.asp?artistid=7 Thomas Blackshear II], GreenwichWorkshop.com. Accessed online 5 November 2006.</ref> Blackshear also illustrated the USPS book ''I Have A Dream: A Collection of Black Americans on U.S. Postage Stamps'' (1991).<ref name=esper-bio/> 

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 [[The Broadmoor|Broadmoor]] Galleries in [[Colorado Springs]]. Blackshear also created video game box art, including [[Karateka (video game)|''Karateka'']] (1984).<ref>{{Cite tweet |number=1635331189144961024 |user=jmechner |title=Jordan Mechner on Twitter: "This wonderful Karateka painting (1984) by Thomas Blackshear II is at @museumofplay, along with my Prince of Persia and Last Express work materials and 1980s-90s souvenirs. My thanks to them, to @internetarchive &amp;amp; all who work to preserve memory that might otherwise be erased. https://t.co/MyIH4cr2nN" / Twitter |first=Jordan |last=Mechner |author-link=Jordan Mechner |date=13 March 2023 |access-date=14 March 2023}}</ref>

Blackshear's oil painting ''Forgiven'' (1991)  is in the collection of the [[Museum of Biblical Art (Dallas)|Museum of Biblical Art, Dallas]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Today |first=Fine Art |date=2021-10-30 |title=Divinely Inspired: Western Art by Thomas Blackshear |url=https://fineartconnoisseur.com/2021/10/divinely-inspired-western-art-by-thomas-blackshear/ |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=Fine Art Connoisseur |language=en-US}}</ref> His oil painting ''Now What?'' (2008) is in the collection of the [[Booth Western Art Museum]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=booth |date=2023-09-20 |title=© Thomas Blackshear II, Now What?, 2008, oil, 25.5 x 29.5″ {{!}} Booth Western Art Museum |url=https://boothmuseum.org/thomas-blackshear-ii-now-what-2008-september-oil-33-x-37/ |access-date=2024-07-29 |language=en-US}}</ref> Blackshear's paintings are often featured at the [[National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/story.php?id=100064740786275&story_fbid=878564334311585 |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=www.facebook.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=All Artwork |url=https://pdw.nationalcowboymuseum.org/all-artwork/ |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=Prix de West |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum {{!}} X |url=https://x.com/ncwhm/status/1537219742976487425}}</ref> 

== Personal life ==
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|Colorado Springs]], Colorado.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fikes |first=Robert |date=2018-12-25 |title=Thomas Richman Blackshear II (1955- ) • |url=https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/thomas-richman-blackshear-ii-1955/ |access-date=2024-07-29 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Christie |first=Todd And |title=Artist's Work B.e.n.c.h.: Artist Profile: Thomas Blackshear |url=https://artistsworkbench.blogspot.com/2009/06/artist-profile-thomas-blackshear.html |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=Artist's Work B.e.n.c.h.}}</ref> 

Blackshear has been a [[Christians|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."<ref name=":0" />

== Works and publications ==
* {{cite book|last1=Blackshear|first1=Thomas|title=The African American Tradition: Heroes of Our Heritages|date=1993|publisher=Greenwich Workshop, Inc.|location=Trumbull, CT|oclc=34829260}}
* {{cite book|last1=Blackshear|first1=Thomas (painting by)|last2=Lessin|first2=Roy (heart reflections written by)|title=Forgiven: A Collection|date=1996|publisher=Chariot Victor Publications|location=Colorado Springs, CO|isbn=978-1-884-00988-4|oclc=883406076|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/forgiven00blac}}

== Awards and honors ==
*2020 [[Society of Illustrators]] Hall of Fame <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://societyillustrators.org/award-winners/thomas-blackshear/|title = Thomas Blackshear}}</ref> 
*Distinguished Alumnus Award from the American Academy of Art in Chicago in 2013.
*Artist Choice Award at the Gene Autry Masters of the West Show in 2018.
*James R. Parks Trustees Purchase Award for the painting “Wild West Show!” in 2019.
*Express Ranches Great American Cowboy Award for the painting “Two Americans of the Old West” at the Prix de West in 2022.
*Prix de West Purchase Award for the painting “A Much Needed Break” in 2024.
*Artist Excellence Award sponsored by Art of the West magazine in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2018-04-19 |title=Thomas Blackshear {{!}} Broadmoor Galleries |url=https://broadmoorgalleries.com/thomas-blackshear-ii/ |access-date=2024-09-11 |website=Broadmoor Galleries |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=

<ref name="USPS-historian 2020 May">{{cite web |ref={{SfnRef|USPS Historian||p=3}} |url=https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/african-american-stamp-subjects.pdf |title=African American Subjects on United States Postage Stamps |date=May 2020 |orig-year=August 2013 |editor-last=USPS Historian |department=Postal History |publisher=[[United States Postal Service]] |pages=1–6 |access-date=November 3, 2020 |postscript={{space|1}} (citing which stamps are part of the Black Heritage series) }}</ref>

<ref name=esper-bio>[http://esperstamps.org/25th.htm Biographical notes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070811231116/http://esperstamps.org/25th.htm |date=2007-08-11 }}, Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections. Accessed online 5 November 2006.</ref>

<ref name="ESPER-BH-stamps">[http://esperstamps.org/black-h1.htm Black Heritage Stamp Issues 1978 to 2002] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061027153957/http://esperstamps.org/black-h1.htm |date=2006-10-27 }}, Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections. Accessed 5 November 5, 2006.</ref>

}}

== Further reading ==
*{{cite journal | author=Jeff Sharlet | title=Soldiers of Christ: I. Inside America's most powerful megachurch | journal=[[Harper's Magazine|Harper's]] | volume=310 | issue=1860 | year=2005 | pages=41–54}}. The article is illustrated with Blackshear's artwork.

==External links==
* {{URL|blackshearonline.com|BlackshearOnline.com}}
* [http://www.ebonyvisions.com The Premiere Community of Thomas Blackshear Enthusiasts]
* [http://www.thecollectionshop.com/xq/ASP/Thomas-Blackshear-Art-Gallery/A.41/qx/Limited_Editions.htm Thomas Blackshear's Gallery]
* [https://store.usps.com/store/browse/uspsProductDetailMultiSkuDropDown.jsp?categoryNavIds=buy-stamps&categoryNav=false&navAction=push&navCount=0&atg.multisite.remap=false&categoryId=buy-stamps&productId=S_474304 Blackshear] at United States Postal Service
* [http://216.197.120.164/artistbibliog.cfm?id=2376 Thomas Blackshear] on the African American Visual Artists Database
*[https://broadmoorgalleries.com/thomas-blackshear/ Broadmoor Galleries], Colorado Springs, CO showing Thomas Blackshear's Western Nouveau Original Oil Paintings

{{Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackshear, Thomas}}
[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Waco, Texas]]
[[Category:American stamp designers]]
[[Category:20th-century American painters]]
[[Category:American male painters]]
[[Category:21st-century American painters]]
[[Category:21st-century American male artists]]
[[Category:Hallmark Cards artists]]
[[Category:American album-cover and concert-poster artists]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American painters]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American artists]]
[[Category:20th-century American male artists]]