An interview with the genius female painter Mary Ogochukwu
Nwele who's outstanding works of art from another dimension of
the planet upset the stability of the internet last week and the week
before.
First it was too real to be real. I traveled to Awka during the
weekend to visit my cousin student doctor at Amaku and eventually
I saw her... by mistake! I was on an evening stroll with my brother
when he pointed at her shop and said, "Know that lady painter
trending online for her paintings? That's her shop".
Immediately I sighted Emmanuella's potrait infront of her shop, I
knew I wasn't hallucinating because I already wanted to deceive
myself with that. You know that feeling of the unexpected right? Like
when you see Rihanna in your village market? Wake up dude!
You're already dreaming.
I postponed my stay, came up with some interview questions with
the help of my cousin for her and prayed she'll give me a listening
ear. In hours, we were done.
The next day, a few minutes after 3pm, we entered her shop and
met her busy painting the Knight in red that I'll share his pictures.
We let her know our purpose for the visit and she said "Yea, cool!".
I had subdivided the whole questions into 5 sections.
1. Abstract questions
2. Role Specific Questions
3. Situational and Operational Questions
4. Behavioral Questions
5. The Video!
ABSTRACT QUESTIONS
Q. Are you aware that you have been an online trend for almost 2
weeks now?
A. Sure, i'm aware of that.
Q. I read that you posted the pictures of your work on your
Instagram page.
A. Yes, I posted it on my Instagram page.
Q. Where else did you post the pictures?
A. On Facebook, those are the two places I posted my works;
Instagram and Facebook.
Q. Did you ask any blogger to post it on his blog?
A. I don't think I have ever asked anyone to post my work online,
though people tell me that they will post my work on Instagram and
Facebook.
John-King: I read that the pictures were culled from your Instagram
page. I saw it on many websites. Some bloggers even posted it
yesterday.
Mary: Even up till now!
Q. Are you a Nairalander?
A. Yes, but I registered recently.
Q. Someone commented on Nairaland that he would not believe
until he sees a video of you actually doing a work. Did you come
across that?
A. Yes, I saw it.
Q. What did you think?
A. Mmm, of course many people doubt I'm the one that do all these
because I'm a lady. So, some of them are anxious to know whether
this girl can actually do this. Some are even waiting for me to post a
video of me painting, which I will do later.
Q. Is your painting ability a developed talent or an acquired skill?
A. I acquired many skills in painting. It's also a talent; God's gift.
God created us in his own image and likeness, making him the first
ever artist. Artists are born and artists are made. You're an artists
too (referring to me), or don't you believe it?
Me: I will believe it because it sounds convincing.
Q. At what age did you discover your talent?
A. 8 years. Then I was either in Jss2 or Jss1.
Q. Can you remember any of your first drawings that made you start
thinking "Maybe it's my call?"
A. We do assignments then that involved drawing and I may be the
best out of the rest. At a time, when I look at things, my spirit will
ask me if I knew I can draw that? Initially, I overlooked those inner
words. One day, I was holding 2face's album CD pack and I heard
those words again. I said "of course, I can do it". Immediately, I
picked up my pen and made a sketch of his face which looked like
him instantly. I showed my mom and she didn’t believe; everyone in
the house doubted me. I now told my dad that I would draw him and
after I drew him, they all believed. My later drawings were the Big
Brother Africa housemates, likely 2008. I got their pictures from the
Newspaper. I sold everything! I later drew P.square from their
album CD pack too.
Q. Was it your dream as a little girl to become an entrepreneur in
artistry?
A. Initially, I didn't think of that. When I was in secondary school,
my classmates would say that I'm wasting my talent in school. They
said they wouldn't be in school if they were me, they'd just stay at
home, draw and make their money. I never thought of studying art
in the university. I couldn't do without drawing at home or school.
Drawing became a passion. I wanted to study law but then I thought
of how I would be drawing in a law lecture hall. People, my family
discouraged me though but I encouraged myself. Some of them said,
"why not tryout another course since you know how to draw already
so that you have two things altogether"
Q. Did you collect money from your classmates in any level of your
education to draw for them?
A. Of course, like I told you, I sold almost all my small drawings. I
can remember I charged a girl N500 for a drawing.
Q. How much was the least?
A. N500. For small pictures, prices were between N300 and N400.
Q. What would you do if you were not a painter?
A. If I were not a painter, I would be a graphic artist.
Q. Do you have any degrees in art?
A. My first degree.
Q. Which institution?
A. Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka (UNIZIK).

ROLE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

Q. For how long have you been working as a painter?

More from the source: www.johnkingsblog.com/2017/07/interview-mary-ogochukwu-nwele.html?m=1