Thomas Richman Blackshear II (born November 14, 1955)[1] is an
African-American artist whose
paintings adorn many
Evangelical and other churches. He is also a
sculptor and a designer of stamps and
ornaments, often with African American themes.
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.
Hollywood's Golden Era Movie series: Four stamps, printed in one block, were dedicated March 23, 1990, in
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
movie poster. Clockwise from the upper left:
Classic Movie Monsters: Five movie monsters issued September 30, 1997, in a pane of twenty 32¢ stamps. The
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.
Blackshear also created video game
box art, including for
Karateka (1984).[8]
A touring exhibit of his Black Heritage works premiered in 1992 at the
Smithsonian Institution's
National Museum of American History.[9] 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.
Works and publications
Blackshear, Thomas (1993). The African American Tradition: Heroes of Our Heritages. Trumbull, CT: Greenwich Workshop, Inc.
OCLC34829260.
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.