Meet Omar Renfro: Performing & Mixed Media Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Omar Renfro and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Omar, why did you pursue a creative career?
I’ve been an artist most of my life, in a lot of different mediums. I often refer to my self as a living installation.
Always changing, always adapting.
Honestly it was never really a second thought, it was just in my nature to create.
The hard part was figuring out how to convince other people that their norm wasn’t my norm.
Ironically I did want to have a basic cubical 9 to 5 but every time I had a “job” it was never enough.
I felt my time was being spent for the benefit of someone else.
It also suppressed me in ways I couldn’t put into words, which affected my art and my output of creativity.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Honestly I think what sets me apart from other people is that I am creative in multiple fields, not just one medium. Whether it be creating jewelry or painting, my ability to do magic sets me apart in the way I approach problems.
Because of magic I tend to think of challenges like math problems. “How many ways can you get to 4?”
Building magic props and creating shows puts you in a mindset to solve almost any problem you could possibly come across. It makes you more creative, you think of things abstractly instead of concrete.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Honestly I’m not the “hang out” type. I’m a real Extroverted Introvert.
I really don’t tend to go to public places unless I’m working the event or have a reason to be there.
But IF I took someone out to have a good time it would probably be the Magic Castle in Hollywood or the Ice House in Pasadena for entertainment.
For relaxing The Broad Museum or a bike ride on the beach.
Top it off with a picnic with some sandwiches from Ggitata on Melrose or some Mexican food from El Patroncito on Venice.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First off my father Barry Renfro without him I wouldn’t have gotten into painting and just thinking about everything creatively.
Chris Good and Ken Drake deserve most of the credit of where I am today.
If it wasn’t for those two people I would have never became a magician and that has helped me almost everyday over the last 15 years.
Trax himself from TraxNYC, the first honest jeweler I’ve come across, and got me into creating jewelry and using my art expertise to make long lasting works of art in the form of precious metals.
And my loving partner in crime Erin DeVine always supporting my crazy ideas and helping me create our future together.
Website: omarrenfro.com
Instagram: omar_renfro
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/OmarRenfroDotCom
