Victor Ugoo Njoku Blog: Chijioke Anyacho on the magic he does with PENting

Chijioke Anyacho specialises in ball point drawings which he describes as PENting. I found out about him when I saw his PENting of one of Oresegun Olumide's painting in defence of Olumide as people doubted the credibility of the works. A look through Chijioke Anyacho Facebook account showed lots of his works and the comment box only has praises for the works. Mr. Anyacho is 23 years old and a graduate of Fine and Applied Arts from the University of Benin. In this interview, he expressed his love for PENting, reveals that his works take an average of 80 to 100 hours, and could even take days. I am sure you would want to know what it takes to be a PENter. Read...

What is PENting? : PENting is a word for what I do - using ball point to create images. It personalises my pen usage.

Why PENting amongst other art forms? : Every individual embraces a form of expression he or she is comfortable with or they consider best expresses their thoughts and visions.

What else do you do aside PENting? : Aside PENting, I breathe. (laughs) Basically, this is all I do right now.

What inspires you and your works? : The thing with inspiration is that sometimes it comes like a flash, it's not premeditated. It just comes and you quickly grab it.

What fears do you face as PENter and how do you beat those? : Fears, I will say challenges not fears, every artist or upcoming start up has financial difficulties and lack of adequate power supply which reduces their productivity at night and at every other time.

At the minimum, how long does it take you to produce a work? : It takes an average of 80 to 100 hours or more and it could be within a week or several weeks. It's not about the time spent, it's about taking the work to the stage you would say, 'I love this'.

Why did you do a PENting of Oresegun Olumide's work? : I did a penting of one of Oresegun Olumide's painting as a response to comments from people questioning the water drops. One commenter asked, 'how can you paint water when water has no colour?' So it was just 'guess it's possible' thing from me.

What challenges do you face as an PENter in Nigeria and which of them is applicable to other artists in Nigeria? : Nigerian artists need to be celebrated more, the media exposure is pretty much intangible. In other climes, they celebrate creative individuals and make them the face of their community, but not much happen here. But, we are getting there. We will get there. Artists on their part, has to make good use of social media networks to expand their reach and showcase their creativity. Imagine if Olumide was not on Facebook.

What processes are involved in creating a PENting? : It's a simple process, starts with a pencil sketch then switch over to ball point to do what it does best.

How do you sell your works? : My works are sold online, interested buyers indicate interest in a particular work, then make a down payment once an agreement is reached and the work is sent to the client.

What helps do you need to sell your works? : Really? One doesn't need help to sell his art per se. What artists need is a platform to showcase their works. It's like music, once it's good, people will want to download it and buy your album. But first, the song has to get to them. Just like right now, you are helping me sell my art to your audience.

What is your view about Nigerians' interest in art? : My view about Nigerians' interest in art is that, there has been an awakening. We have suddenly realized that we got the talent and creativity. We only have been ignoring it, the interest has picked up now. It's for us the artists to continue to sustain and grow such interest.

Where do you see your self and your works in the next four years? : In the next four years, I must have expanded my medium of expression - oil painting, photography, sculpture.

Your words to other budding PENters and artists? : My words to other budding PENters and artists will be, look at the music industry, different genre of music exists and each has it's dedicated fans. Do what you want to do, there will always be an audience for you, there will always be a market for you, people will always love it and want to associate with it. Practice, practice and practice and just remember everything good will surely come. It might take a while but it will surely come. And most importantly, don't ever forget this, God is the source, the source of creativity, He allowed His artistic spirit swell inside of you, without Him, you are nothing.