Heron Painting

Storytelling is central to Sam Onche’s work. Now based in the Chicago area, his story started in Nigeria, where he grew up in a household that valued family and art. He has fond memories of drawing with siblings and friends, developing a competitive edge that applied to sports. Basketball brought him to the U.S. and led him to Colby College. He pursued oil painting there and continues to use this medium as well as digital drawing to share stories through Black art. Onche’s vibrant oil paintings, mostly portraits, employ careful colorful abstraction. He uses Ankara fabric in the backgrounds of his portraits, a nod to his heritage and sourced from his sister’s fashion design company. Onche uses color generously and symbolically, painting his rich cultural experiences into each portrait. His process includes a constant playlist of afrobeat and hip hop while he paints, along with countless other inspirations he draws from the world around him that contribute to his propensity for storytelling. He sees art as his way to give back to the community that inspires him. Beyond original paintings, Onche’s work includes illustrations for album covers, books, posters, and prints. HG Literary Agency represents Onche for illustrations and covers. He works in both digital art and traditional oil painting, and appreciates both for the diverse textures they add to his art. Onche also explores Afrofuturism, a style partly inspired by science fiction movies and comic books. Other themes in his art range from moments of daily living to cultural evolution, with nods to fashion and music. Onche’s vision is to unite all kinds of people to look at his art from a cultural point of view, with hope for a brighter, more equal future. Visual art is Onche’s medium to speak out on Black representation and imagine a better world.