We were lucky to catch up with John Wangendo recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi John, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
So my art business started during the Covid pandemic lockdowns in April 2020. As my regular workload hours were downsized because of the lockdowns, my daughters who had seen me do a rough sketch here and there encouraged me to try a hand at drawing. Prior to the Covid pandemic, the only drawing i remember doing was when I was around 10 yrs old back in Kenya as art is not often taken as a serious career in most African countries.
So after I did my first painting, i decided to post it on my Facebook page and the response was overwhelming. I immediately knew that this was something I wanted to continue doing though back then I only considered it as a hobby. The more I continued to draw the more I found myself lost in the world of canvas and charcoal dust.
At first I had no idea which direction this newly discovered talent would go. I found myself drawing world famous figures and doing portraits for friends. But one day while drawing a portrait of President Obama, a light bulb moment went off in my brain and I thought…since I’m originally from Africa, why not try to tell stories about my African people through my art? And that’s how artwakbyjohn was born.
And so with every painting that I drew, i got better as i kept practicing over & over often into the early morning hours. Soon my art was noticed by an arts organization, Evanston made, that would later introduce me to exhibitions around Evanston Illinois. Since then I have now been on various group exhibitions, a solo exhibition, shown my work in galleries, and even gotten interviewed by WGN News in Chicago for their Primetime News. I recently sold 2 of my highest sellers through a gallery that was showing my work. My next move is to try to find a way to commercialize my artwork through big box stores.
John, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is John Wangendo, a self taught artist and originally from Kenya. I live in the Chicago suburb of Skokie and prior to becoming an artist, I was a banker. Thereafter I became an independent contractor for a medical distribution company a business I still continue with. Since I discovered my hidden talent of drawing, I’ve really fallen in love with the art world. I try to keep myself informed about artists and their work and I also love to attend exhibitions around Chicagoland to keep myself informed. I’m very proud of myself for coming this far within such a short period of time….4 yrs to be exact. It is my intention to become a great story teller about the African culture’s & traditions through my artwork and also as a way of preserving some of those traditions that are rapidly disappearing in the face of western modernization.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
When I started i vividly remember when someone told me that drawing was a total waste of time and that I would be lucky to sell a $100 piece. Well, I did not let that discourage me because in me I knew I had what it takes to become a great artist. 3 years later I sold my first 4 figure piece for a thousand dollars. I could have been easily dissuaded by that comment by my resilience overcame in the end.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
When I started drawing, I would often find myself sketching into the early hours of the night and with a child in school, i was finding it hard for me to balance the two because I also had the task of dropping her off to school every morning. But with time i became better at drawing, i found that i could also manage my time more easily.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Artwakbyjohn.com
- Instagram: Artwakbyjohn
- Facebook: John Wangendo
- Youtube: Artwakbyjohn
