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| 555 w. 9000 so. (801) 255-3004 Ancestor Square (435) 673-6363 Sandy, Utah St. George, Utah |
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Thomas Blackshear II, the son of an Air Force captain, was born in Waco, Texas, and grew up
in Atlanta, Georgia. “Drawing was all I ever liked to do,” he says. “While all the other guys
were playing baseball or basketball, I was in my house, drawing.” He pursued an interest in art
throughout high school, securing a scholarship to the Art Institute of Chicago. After a year
there, he transferred to the nearby Academy of Art. While finishing his college education, he
was recruited by Hallmark Cards and later became the apprentice of illustrator Mark English.
Blackshear settled in Kansas City, where he became head illustrator at the prestigious
Godbold/Richter Studio. A year later, he began a prosperous freelance career, illustrating
many advertisements, several U.S. Postal Service stamp collections—one called “Black
Heritage,” another on classic movies, and a third on jazz musicians—and several series of
Hamilton Group collector’s plates featuring scenes from Star Wars, Star Trek, and The Wizard
of Oz. Although he was successful, he was dissatisfied and decided to pursue a career in fine
art.
Blackshear has received many awards for his artwork, including the Society of Illustrators’
coveted Gold Medal. He was profiled on The Living Canvas, an art magazine of the airwaves
that was shown on public television, and he has been featured on the Ebony/Jet Showcase
and The 700 Club, and in The Saturday Evening Post. An exhibit of his original works for the
Black Heritage stamp series premiered in 1992 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of
American History and subsequently toured the United States.
in Atlanta, Georgia. “Drawing was all I ever liked to do,” he says. “While all the other guys
were playing baseball or basketball, I was in my house, drawing.” He pursued an interest in art
throughout high school, securing a scholarship to the Art Institute of Chicago. After a year
there, he transferred to the nearby Academy of Art. While finishing his college education, he
was recruited by Hallmark Cards and later became the apprentice of illustrator Mark English.
Blackshear settled in Kansas City, where he became head illustrator at the prestigious
Godbold/Richter Studio. A year later, he began a prosperous freelance career, illustrating
many advertisements, several U.S. Postal Service stamp collections—one called “Black
Heritage,” another on classic movies, and a third on jazz musicians—and several series of
Hamilton Group collector’s plates featuring scenes from Star Wars, Star Trek, and The Wizard
of Oz. Although he was successful, he was dissatisfied and decided to pursue a career in fine
art.
Blackshear has received many awards for his artwork, including the Society of Illustrators’
coveted Gold Medal. He was profiled on The Living Canvas, an art magazine of the airwaves
that was shown on public television, and he has been featured on the Ebony/Jet Showcase
and The 700 Club, and in The Saturday Evening Post. An exhibit of his original works for the
Black Heritage stamp series premiered in 1992 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of
American History and subsequently toured the United States.
Thomas Blackshear
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