For decades, the artistic world has been described as a starving arena but as Nelson Musiomi, 30, can prove, there is still gold to be mined from the industry.
In a sit down with The Standard on Thursday, July 23, the artist, who hails from Kayole, disclosed that he makes an average of Ksh 100,000 every month from the sale of his portraits in Kenya and globally.
He further revealed that he kicked off his business with a capital of Ksh 1,000 which he used to purchase pencils and printing papers.
"In high school, I realised I enjoyed drawing more than anything. The teachers would ask me to do diagrams for the class because I was faster than anyone and did very neat drawings.
"I make roughly Sh100,000 a month. After deducting all my expenses, I am able to save around Sh65,000. Coming from earning a living from manual labour, this is a whole different world," he stated.
He further explained that the Covid-19 pandemic has not affected his business as much and so far, he has sold some 3,200 paintings.
He disclosed that his business expanded well since he started sharing the paintings on Facebook and people would comment on them.
He now employs seven people with clearly demarcated roles including two Boda Boda guys who make the deliveries.
Previously, the artist has created portraits of Health CS Mutahi Kagwe, Classic FM presenter Maina Kageni and Maria Actor Brian Ogana popularly known as Luwi.
"I charge Ksh 3,500 for one person, Ksh 5,000 for two people, Ksh 6,500 for three people and Ksh8,000 for four people in A3 size, prices inclusive of mounting, framing and packaging with free delivery within Nairobi CBD," he replied when asked about his charge rate.
He explained that he charges far below his competition (who rake in Ksh10,000 per piece for which he charges Ksh3,500) because he does not want to cultivate a greedy culture.
Below is a video of his portrait of Mutahi Kagwe:
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