Through my art, I’ve been able to dine with presidents

Had he paid attention to his cousin who dismissed his art work and told him he wasn’t good at drawing 20 years ago, Maxwell Omondi would never have been the artist that he is today.

Maxwell, who was only six years old by then, took this as a challenge, and decided to perfect his skills.

Now, Maxwell is a resident of Kilimani, Nairobi, and has grown into a renowned artist who owns an arts shop by the name Kahawa Creations.

Through art, he got an opportunity to visit State House to meet former President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2019.

The 26-year-old explains that although getting to where he is didn’t come without challenges, he has learnt to enjoy the moment and take one day at a time.

“My secret is to always keep an open mind, and to give my best. Being a full time artist needs patience and frequent networking with colleagues from the same field to keep abreast of any new trends,” says Maxwell.

At first, he was only doing art for fun. His elder cousin was good at drawing and he liked sitting beside him and bask in his prowess. Gradually, his interest grew and he began signing up for drawing competitions in school.

“We would draw diagrams for the senior students, especially for the science classes, and they in turn paid us Sh5 for the services,” says Maxwell.

While in primary school, he lived with his aunt who was a teacher at Moi Girls, Vokoli. While there, he had the opportunity to interact with the art students, and would go to their school studio on weekends.

One day after school, he approached his cousin with a number of pencil drawings he had tried out, but his reply was not encouraging.

“My paintings were not pleasing to him, and he told me to my face that I would never excel as an artist,” he says.

However, this did not make Maxwell stop drawing. He continued practicing with pencil and paper and three months later, he approached his cousin once again, eager to show him his new drawing works.

This time round, his cousin was thoroughly impressed. He could not believe that Maxwell had produced the work before him, so he asked Maxwell to draw a different image so he could confirm.

“When I was done he was impressed, and he told me I was already an artist,” says Maxwell who adds that he has never looked back since then.

Since then, Maxwell has continued to nurture his drawing talent. He draws every time he is free.

While in high school, Maxwell joined the journalism club, and while he admits that he was not good at communication, he believed he could still pass messages using drawings.

“I loved drawing so much that I developed an ambition to be an architect. However, I had to abandon the dream since I was not good in science subjects,” he says. In school, Maxwell put his skills to full use and would sometimes design his classmates' love letters for a small fee.

He would charge Sh50 for designing letters, and those who also wanted him to write the address in calligraphy had to part with Sh100.

While in school, the artist had a vision of starting his own fashion, arts and furniture shop.

After Form Four, he had upgraded his skills and was now drawing portraits, which he would sell for Sh1, 500 to Sh2,500.
He however says that the price of his art works have kept increasing over the years, with his most expensive work being a portrait which he sold during an exhibition at Sh30, 000.

“I was surprised to have sold my work for that amount, since it was the first time I was earning big from my skills. I did not have lots of bills to settle, so I sent my parents and siblings the cash and ended up broke,” says Maxwell.

His love for art took a major turning point in 2019 when he attended an exhibition at one of the major hotels in Nairobi.
He had learnt from other artists that a single portrait could even go for as much as Sh500,000 depending on the size and complexity. 

“One day, I was taking coffee at one of the restaurants when I realised some drops of coffee had stained a piece of paper on my table. I thought just how beautiful it would be to use coffee instead of pencil for drawing!” .

He went ahead and researched widely before settling on using roasted, fine grounded coffee for his drawings.

Maxwell says one of his major achievements is starting his arts shop, and exhibiting his art pieces in high end hotels in the country. He also takes great pride in having met former President Uhuru Kenyatta and being able to create a name for himself.

He also shares that when free, he either visits the church where he loves singing, or teaches art in Kibera. He also uses his art to create awareness on Gender Based Violence.

“In the beginning, my parents doubted if I could really benefit from the arts I made, but after meeting the former president, their hope was renewed,” says Maxwell.

In the past, he says, his major challenge was finding a market for his products.

“But that is no longer a challenge because I am good at networking, and get many clients through referrals. He now hopes to venture into neurographics, a type of art which Maxwell says helps to ease anxiety.