Kisumu artist attracts global attention from pencil drawings

In 2014, popular Kisumu pencil artist Collins Omondi Okello drew his way into President Uhuru Kenyatta’s heart, earning a chance to meet with him at State House, Nairobi.

It was a humbling experience, he says, which would be his breakthrough in his career as an artist living in the sprawling slums of Nyawita Estate in Kisumu County.

Mr Omondi had drawn President Kenyatta in his military fatigues, a portrait that blew away social media and attracted the attention of the Head of State, who personally called him and invited him to Nairobi.

MESSAGES

From inbox messages on social media to text messages, there is no end to orders for Kisumu Picasso’s phone as orders keep flooding in.

The past few days have seen his dormant Twitter handle grow from 300 to 6,581 followers and counting after another of his popular drawings of American entertainer, comedian, writer and TV host Steve Harvey once again grabbed global attention, earning him a meeting with him.

Mr Omondi, a 30-year-old father of two, posted an incomplete portrait of the comedian on his official Twitter handle on February 27, 2020 with a caption, “Hey @IAmSteveHarvey, here is my pencil drawing of you by me, with love from Kenya, hope you see it”.

Mr Harvey saw it and asked his Kenyan followers to tag the comedian.

Two days later, Mr Harvey commented: “Everyone has a God-given gift. This is what following your gift looks like, just incredible.”

But when he posted the complete work and offered to give it to him as a gift, the comment from Mr Harvey would not only blow away the artist’s mind, but his followers too.

“Now I am looking for you, it would be an honour to have this. What size is it and I’ll be in Johannesburg and Botswana soon let’s hook up then. Someone from my team will message you,” he said.

When the Nation team visited the celebrated artist, he confirmed that, indeed, he has been in touch with the American TV host.

“I have spoken with Mr Harvey and he asked for my private details and told me his team will get in touch with me to get details and logistics on how we can meet, when and where,” said the pencil artist.

SUPPORT FROM CORPORATES

After his conversation with the American idol on Twitter, other corporates have come up to support him with Bonfire Adventures offering to sponsor his flight to wherever his meeting with Mr Harvey will be.

His drawing styles reveal keenness to detail and a passion to draw a complicated picture with much detail.

“I used to do a type of art called realism, but this time I decided to go further and venture into hyperrealism where you focus much on details ensuring you capture the skin, eyes, hair follicles and wrinkles. I wanted to see the reaction and I think the verdict is out there,” said Mr Omondi.

Apart from Mr Harvey, he has also done a beautiful piece of art on American writer, actor and film maker Tyler Perry.

His star shone bright after his visit to State House as he would get a number of referrals and jobs from the House on the Hill.

“The publicity I got from the State House visit benefitted not only me, but also other pencil artists who were inspired and people started noticing our work,” he said.

OBAMA PORTRAIT

He has done some more portraits for State House, which the President gifted former United States President Barack Obama when he visited Kenya in 2015 as well as one for the Pope, opposition chief Raila Odinga, the late Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, TV host Jeff Koinange and politician Peter Kenneth as well as other corporate leaders.

He pointed out that initially, he had restricted himself to doing portraits of Kenyans or local leaders, but decided to challenge himself by venturing outside the country. His first stop was Steve Harvey, and it turned out well.

Initially, he did his art work as a hobby, but started taking it seriously when he was studying business communication at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

“I realised I could do this professionally while in campus when I sold my first portrait at Sh500,” said Mr Omondi.

SCHOOL DIAGRAMS

Prior to that, his teachers at Arya Primary School in Kisumu and Kisumu Boys' High School had detected his artistic skills at a very tender age and would ask him to draw diagrams or maps, which were used during lessons.

But he says that it is not all smooth sailing for artists.

People do not always appreciate art work, a perception he says he wants to change, and which he feels is partly working owing to the assignments he gets.

“Many people do not take art as a job that can bring food on the table and pay bills. Some say it is not a job but ‘like a job’,” said Mr Omondi.

Another challenge is getting materials. Sometimes he has to import them or improvise local materials.

SETTING UP STUDIO

He is currently setting up a studio, which he says has cost him a fortune.

But he is optimistic that he will complete it and compete with other artists in the market.

His strength has been in the use of social media, which has helped him market his art easily.

The price of his pieces ranges from Sh10,000 to hundreds of thousands of shillings depending on various factors such as the details therein and material used.

He urges fellow artists to believe in themselves and put their work out there for people to see as well as use social media to market themselves.

He also reminds them to take education seriously, saying he uses the skills he acquired in school to manage his business.

“This is a form of employment and has a ripple effect as it helps others too. I have employed other people who are making frames for my art works,” says the artist.

In 2018, he also won the Winam Business Leaders Award.