We recently connected with Omar Thomas and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Omar thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I will never forget, I was at the boardwalk at the Jersey shore and saw an artist airbrushing. He had like 20 airbrushes and was so accurate and precise. His colors where so vivid and eye popping. I watched him for hours oblivious to anything else around me, that was the moment I decided I wanted to be a professional artist.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I got snuck into the industry really (laughter). 20+ years ago I convinced a tattoo shop to give me an internship. Back in those days, you had to really know someone to get a foot in the door. There where no “schools” or online platforms to learn from. Everything was hands on and personal. Through working in that shop, I met so many other artist which actually led to the opportunity to transition to painting custom motorcycles, cars and boats. Which was another area that the masters of that craft where very secretive. I assume I was blessed, knew the right people and had enough talent and ambition to earn trust within those channels. Fast forward to today, you can look at my paintings and see a spectrum of influence. Every 2-3 yrs. I reinvent myself, so the result of hours of practice, experimentation and applying what I learned from aerosol graffitti, tattooing, painting Harleys, murals, fine art, abstract art, contemporary art, portraits, etc. I have developed a unique style. Mix this with my unique color pallettes and texture and there you find Omar Thomas (aka- O.Thomas- aka Umar Djett) the artist. Over the years, I’ve painted so many things and learned from so many artist, I really consider myself versatile and unique. You will never meet another like me, that’s a guarantee I use as a selling point for every potential client.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

There is. Mission #1
Of course my personal goal is to be an established artist blah blah blah… but my longterm goal is to have a building housing artists from all walks of life, engaged in every creative discipline you can name, working towards one goal- empowerment.
I see so many artist lacking resources, mentoring, outlets, confidence, and direction acting as a single entity trying to navigate this crazy industry. I would like to facilitate an army of these particulars and through collective empowerment pave a way to making the world respect and appreciate the creatives.

Mission#2
Legacy- I want to be remembered for my creative contributions and achievements 100 years after I’m gone.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

The first thing is to recognize without us, the world would be a very boring place. I mean imagine no the internet with no graphics, a party with no music or dance, imagine billboards with no color…all black words on printed on a white background. Imagine every car you see…same dull color, same box shape. My point is…the creatives are an extension of nature itself. We utilize what nature gives to the earth- resource, color, energy, hope, nourishment, entertainment, etc. The world should recognize and respect that! No artist should starve, without the creative, the modern world and every person in it would starve.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://1-omar-thomas.pixels.com/
• Instagram: @othomasart
• Youtube: Othomasart
• Other: Look out for my new IG @artisticalchemii

Image Credits
Photos by: Omar Thomas Othomas.art All rights reserved.