Tesia Blackburn was born in Shreveport, Louisiana and went to school in Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and New Mexico finally moving to San Francisco. She received her BFA from the Academy of Art in 1984, studied lithography at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1990 and received her Master's of Art in 1992 at John F. Kennedy University in Orinda, California. The Golden Acrylic Paint Company has honored Blackburn as the "Golden Working Artist" in San Francisco, where she demonstrates and teaches advanced techniques in acrylic painting. Her work is featured in collections nationwide and internationally. She is actively involved in education, teaching in art centers, museums and colleges throughout California and the West.