| Joan Blackshear |
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Born on the island of Hawaii, Joan Shipman Blackshear has an island family history dating back four generations. The seeds of her art were sown early while playing hide and seek among Banyan roots, torch ginger, and wild orchids. Upon obtaining a degree in Fashion Design from Woodbury University, Los Angeles, she worked the next 15 years for several upscale fashion houses including the legendary Jean Louis Couture, Beverly Hills. Her designs have appeared in numerous national and island publications. Joan returned to Kona, Hawaii in the late 1980s, when she launched Joan Blackshear Design Company, featuring a hand painted scarf collection. In the early 1990s she added a line of hand painted ladie's apparel. In 1996, her design company was selected from more than 60 companies to feature her apparel on the Wheel of Fortune TV show, filmed on the Big Island, where Vanna White wore her designs on four shows, including the premier show. Later that year and again in 1998 her colorful silks were worn on models at the Sony Global Marketing Partners Conference, again on the Big Island. In the late 1990s, Joan designed a collection of hand painted home decor products, featuring wall hangings, table runners, and pillow covers for home and office. This has become the focal point of her work, collected by many, and displayed and sold at numerous fine galleries, museum stores and gift shops. "The exotic combination of design, color, and texture enhances lives by bringing about unique individuality. My goal is to create a mix of stylized Island and Asian art while maintaining beautiful composition and impeccable quality of product." |
