Blair Abshire and Her Art
Blair Abshire, 21, is a communications major in her third year at Centenary. She has a knack for art–and her range is quite phenomenal. From painting on shoes to pulling needles of embroidery thread through canvases, Blair has created countless works since her passion for art grew in 2018. Upon arriving at Centenary, she opened her art account on Instagram, @blairdoesart, accepting commissions from her peers. Here’s a peek into what she’s done…
1. Toy Story Themed Graduation Cap
This cap was made for a graduating senior at Centenary. After struggling with indecisiveness on how to design this cap, Blair came up with a simple and cute picture. She got to work after creating her vision for the cap, using different colors and textures of cardstock to glue the letters and shapes into a heartwarming phrase. “This was really fun and nostalgic in a way, you know? Watching these movies when you’re little and then being able to reminisce on that through creativity.” Blair says.
2. Abstract Patterned Vans
These bright and colorful shoes were a commission done for fun. “I really just went to Pinterest and searched through all of the patterns. I chose the ones that stood out to me and slapped it all together.” Blair says. She used acrylic paint for these beauties, mixing it with fabric painting medium to ensure that it stuck to the shoes.
3. Custom Graffiti Cleats
These cleats were the second pair Blair had designed and painted for a Centenary men's baseball player. “There was a deeper meaning behind the design.” Blair says. If you take a closer look at the cleats, you can see that written on them are the names of people who had a great impact on his life. “This was an emotionally heavy project,” she says, “the process and everything. These people had a significant connection to him, and being able to put that on cleats was extremely rewarding.”
4. Embroidered Canvas
Eager to gain a foothold in a different technique, Blair switched to needle and thread, an uncommon medium, for this project. “That was my first time experimenting with embroidering. I wanted to try a different medium, I didn't even know it would work.” Although it looks like a difficult project, it was a simple process for Blair. “I just picked a design that seemed easy to trace and went for it.” As an effect, she was able to decorate a canvas in an unconventional way.
These pieces were only a few of many that Blair has created over the past years.Want to see more of Blair’s art? Check out her page on Instagram @blairdoesart. BTW… she's open for commissions (;
