I stumbled across this Thomas Blackshear painting yesterday that I had never seen before. Which is surprising, because I seem to be looking at his work all the time.

Whenever I’m trying to explain some artistic principle in my class, there is always a Thomas Blackshear painting to show off as the perfect example of that principle. His work is just so good on so many levels. I particularly admire his ability to balance 3-Dimensional form with 2-Dimensional pattern.

While admiring the piece above, it occurred to me that we’ve never spotlighted Thomas’ work here on Muddy Colors.

Thomas Blackshear first showed up on my radar as a fantasy illustrator, when I discovered his work in an early Society of Illustrators Annual. Since then, he has gone on to a hugely successful career doing collectable sculptures and fine art paintings based on spiritual and cultural themes. Regardless of the genre, Thomas’ incredible skill always manages to shine through.