Pencil Him In

Finding a Creative Voice at the Swap O Rama

Besides the main arteries of museums and galleries, the Chicago area has endless capillaries of creativity.

Twice in recent months, colleagues at WTTW have told me about a talented graphic artist they discovered at the Swap O Rama in Alsip. Yes, the Swap O Rama -- that year-round flea market with 3 locations (the other two are in Melrose Park and on South Ashland Avenue).

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Each weekend at Booth 144 in the Alsip Swap O Rama, you’ll find Omoro Rahim selling very reasonable prints made from his original drawings. Prices generally range from $20 for an unframed print to $50 for a framed edition.

That’s a bargain for incredibly detailed works made with passion and dedication. “I’ve been drawing since I was 7 years old,” the 36-year-old draftsman told us. “And I spend months on each drawing.”

Omoro focuses specifically on pencil drawings. “They’re my specialty," he said. "There aren’t too many people doing this, and I see it as a niche.” Sometimes he adds a touch of color, but more often the works are 50 shades of graphite.

Photograph and resulting pencil drawing by Omoro RahimHe usually works from photos, and subjects include President Obama, his son reading a book, leaders in the Nation of Islam, a litter of puppies, and especially his beloved hometown.

Omoro Rahim doesn’t have a website at the moment but you can find him on Facebook and Twitter. Read through his posts and you’ll discover an inspired person with a love of pencilwork and positivity.

And while Omoro Rahim may or may not end up in a museum someday, he represents a creative vein that runs deep in the region and should be appreciated wherever it’s found.

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