Omar M. Richardson

Omar Melvin Richardson was born May 5, 1982 in Nassau,Bahamas in an area called Bain Town also known as West Street. While attendingC.R. Walker Secondary School in Nassau, he discovered and developed his love for art. At C.R. Walker, he was greatly encouraged by his teacher, Mrs. Ashe, to pursue art. After high school, he continued onto the College of the Bahamas, where he studied painting and ceramics. While attending the College of theBahamas, his professors Mrs. Maycock and Mrs. Behagg encouraged him to further his education abroad. He then transferred to the Savannah College of Art andDesign (SCAD) in Savannah Ga., where he completed a B.F.A. in painting and a minor in printmaking. In Fall 2006 Richardson went to Grad-school in Atlanta Georgia were he was the first MFA printmaking grad-student in the history of SavannahCollege of Art and Design. He is a graduated of SCAD Atlanta campus where he has completed his M.F.A. in printmaking and an M.A. in commercial photography in 2009. While working as a professor at the Art Institute of Atlanta- Decatur,Omar decided to sharpen his design skills by pursing and completing a B.F.A in graphic design in 2013. Omar Richardson’s first art show/auction with well-known Bahamian artist Chad Pratt how has now past always, was at the age of sixteen. Mr. Richardson’s art was displayed in the Central bank of theBahamas from 1999 to 2004. In 2007 and 2010 he won the Central Bank of theBahamas Annual Art Competition. His first solo art show was in 2000 at theCollege of the Bahamas. His solo exhibitions include “Similar Differences II”in the Pro gallery at the College of the Bahamas and a show in the City TrustBank boardroom in 2002. In 2007-2008 Mr. Richardson’s was a featured artist atShop SCAD in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia. He was the first SCAD student to be invited to Highpoint’s Center for Printmaking first invitational exhibit inMinneapolis, MN, which was held Feb. 8 – March 5, 2008. His experience also includes participation in numerous group and solo exhibitions from 1999 to 2022.

Statement

My interest is in cultural and personal symbolism and its relation to the human condition. The human condition is very closely related to human emotions. The key concepts in my work are memory, reflection, loss and re-invention. I believe the combination of photography, text and sound best reflects these interests of mixing the media. Because human emotions are so complex and layered, I use colors, dramatic marks, text and photography to give me a way to represent emotion. Combining and layering these processes, allow me to show beauty, anger and sadness in the same piece of work.