Shawn Richardson was born in Tucson, Arizona, and grew up in Maryland. Shawn graduated from National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) and earned an Associate of Applied Science in Applied Arts in 1992. Shawn worked as a production associate with Preservation magazine and its website at the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, DC for many years. He moved to Houston and has been residing in Austin.
Shawn seldom does freelance art and graphic work. He specializes in cartoons and humorous illustrations on the Macintosh and in traditional media including acrylic, pen, pencil, ink, and watercolor. Shawn’s cartoons were exhibited at Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) for ASLfest (2012). He was once an employee of TSD and took pleasure in working with students. Shawn has been passionately fond of drawing and painting since he was a little boy.
He enjoys reading comic strips and cartoons. His favorite cartoonists are Robb Armstrong, Matt Daigle, Lynn Johnston, Morris Turner, and Bill Watterson. He also loves fine art and is very keen on going to museums and galleries. His inspirational artists are William H. Johnson, Frida Kahlo, Jacob Lawrence, Henri Matisse, Alice Neel, Pablo Picasso, and Egon Schiele. Shawn has been an active member of Houston Black Deaf Advocates (HBDA) since 2009. He appreciates his involvements with activities, community services, events, and meetings of HBDA.