Inspiring story of a Lawyer from Papua New Guinea who loves pencil drawing amazes people with his art.

Papua New Guinea Lawyer, Abednego loves pencil drawing

By Clarissa Moi | January 26, 2022 | The National.

Lawyer Abednego Meoree loves art, especially drawing using pencil, so much he spends much of his free time on it as a hobby.

The 28-year-old’s love for art began when he was a young man who would borrow books from the school library just to study the drawings inside.

Papua New Guinea Lawyer, Abednego loves pencil drawing

“I was fascinated by pencil drawing at a very early age. I started drawing with pencil when I was in primary school at Langlang in Karkar, Madang.

“I always run to the school library during lunch breaks to grab books from the arts section. If I see a drawing, I would spend time studying it.

“I always wondered how those awesome drawings could be done by man. It began my pencil art journey.”

Abednego is married with two children. His parents are from Eastern Highlands and Chimbu of Papua New Guinea, although his family lived in Madang when he was young.

He completed primary school in Karkar, did grades nine and 10 at Tusbab Secondary School, then to Kerowagi Secondary School in Chimbu where he completed grades 11 and 12.

“I easily rose to become the best artist in class in both primary and high schools. And I am continuing to develop my skills.”

He was selected to study law at the University of Papua New Guinea in 2012 and graduated with a degree in 2018. He attended the Legal Training Institute in 2019 as required of all lawyers before entering the bar.

He today works for a law firm.

“Apart from practicing law, I very much love art. The future (for his hobby) is really unpredictable. But if it is God’s will, I hope to open a private gallery someday and maybe collaborate with other pencil artists in the country and see what we can do.”

“ I was fascinated by pencil drawing at a very early age. I always run to the school library during lunch breaks to grab books from the arts section. I always wondered how those awesome drawings could be done by man.”

Abednego believes that as a developing country, the art industry in Papua New Guinea is still in its infancy and development stage, like other industries.

“We are yet to completely appreciate art. There’s a lot of very talented Papua New Guinean artists out there who do some of the most incredible pieces. But the market is not favourable and most artworks are undervalued.

“In addition, the Government needs to do more to support our artists.

“I have not reached the helm of success in art yet and I still have more to do in terms of refining my skills.

“The better I become, the more I realise what I lack. I think it’s just going to be this way.”

Papua New Guinea Lawyer, Abednego loves pencil drawing

In terms of clients, customers and art buyers (the market), Abednego believes that one has to really develop one’s artistic skills and build one’s reputation over time to be recognised, especially in Papua New Guinea.

“That basically is how I keep up with the challenges.”

Last November, he was recognised by the Papua New Guinea National Cultural Commission with other local artists and given certificates.

“It felt awesome. One of the highlights I enjoyed as an artist is that I get to meet a lot of people in high places which otherwise wouldn’t be possible.”

He encourages fellow artists to continue creating masterpieces and developing their skills.

“To talented pencil artists out there, it really requires patience and hard work to produce good artwork. So keep on working to develop and refine your skills.

“We are fortunate to have smartphones and the internet to learn from by watching videos on YouTube.”

His advice to young people aspiring to be successful in what they love to do is there is no (electricity-powered) elevator to success.

“You have to take the stairs” to reach it.Papua New Guinea Lawyer, Abednego loves pencil drawing



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