Paul Onobiono, or when drawing becomes painting

1 - Could you briefly tell us about your background?

I am a young visual artist who lives and works in Yaoundé, Cameroon. I completed my secondary education, after which I obtained my A4 Baccalaureate in the Spanish stream in 2014. I then enrolled on the Visual Arts and Art History course at the University of Yaoundé 1.

In 2017, I completed my bachelor’s degree, and it was precisely from that moment onwards that I began to regard my artistic practice as professional. Indeed, I stopped studying and have devoted myself to my work ever since.

2 – How did your artistic vocation come about?

I really can’t tell you exactly how it began, but ever since I was very young I’ve been drawn to drawing. In fact, I still remember my drawings from when I was 4 or 5 years old. They aren’t very detailed, but I particularly remember the way I used to draw my characters at that age and how I called them ‘the muscular ones’…

Then, of course, there were the characters from novels like Blek le Rock, Zembla, Tarzan and others, who made me love drawing even more.

Up until the age of 19, I’d never thought it was possible to build a professional career out of drawing, or even that art was a profession. It all really began after my first drawing class at university, when the lecturer asked us to draw the chair he’d placed in front of us. That’s when I realised I didn’t know how to draw. That was my first real encounter with art, the artist’s craft, artistic practice and the art world.

Immediately afterwards, and quite naturally, I felt a deep conviction that I could make a living from it and build a professional career.

3 – What are your sources of inspiration?

I would say, without hesitation, humour and music. However, up until 2020, I drew my inspiration from current affairs topics dealing with suffering and inequality. In fact, anything that fundamentally conveyed a negative image of Africa, its people and their diverse ways of life. But after much reflection and soul-searching, both regarding my own work and the artistic practice of my peers, I decided to reorient my work towards a more positive approach, one more firmly rooted in self-acceptance, particularly in the way my characters are portrayed.

4 – Tell us about your working method.

You should know that I’m drawn to using unconventional tools when I paint… I feel restricted by brushes, so I’ve opted for pastels because they make me feel freer and I feel as though there are no limits when I use them. When I work with oil or acrylic paints, I use a teaspoon to apply the paint. As for surfaces, paper and canvas are the most accessible to me. Ultimately, what matters most is what I put on them...