Nigerian lawyer and artist, Oyinlola Odumewu, always dreamt of making it into the Guinness World Records.
Inspired by other Nigerian dance record holder Kaffy Shefau, her cousin Pinkie Debbie and Hilda Bassey, Odumewu attempted the longest solo painting marathon recognized by Guinness.
As a child, she had her drawings of cartoon characters all over her room but didn’t take art seriously until after Law School in 2016. While working as a lawyer in Lagos, she explored makeup artistry, switched to face painting, and rediscovered her love for drawing and painting.
In 2022, she ventured into the NFT space, selling digital artworks. The joy from buyers led her back to drawing on traditional canvases. Oyinlola spoke with The Record’s Omon Okhuevbie about her arts journey, challenges during the painting marathon, lessons learned, and future plans post Guinness World Record accreditation.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Omon Okhuevbie: Who inspired you to try this incredible feat?
Oyinlola Odumewu: I got inspired by a lot of world record holders from the past years. Kaffy, Pink Debby and Hilda. Hilda inspired me this year, so that was why I decided to take the attempt.
In 2018, I was a make-up artist and I was talking to my cousin about trying a make-up marathon for Guinness World Records but by the time we started calculating the number of women we were going to use, I got discouraged. So, when Hilda did hers this year, I told myself that it was my time. Let me just do what I want to do before I would give up again. The day she (Hilda) started I got inspired again. I was scared at first, the night I wanted to apply and I was like let me see if something in me would say don’t do it. The next day was a Sunday, I went to church. It was even in church I completed the application.
OO: There was an avalanche of Guinness World Records marathons in Nigeria after Hilda’s cookathon. Did you feel like you were going be dragged for trying to set a record too?
OO: Immediately Guinness World Records responded to my submission, I posted it on Twitter. After I posted, I just left Twitter. I think I was busy that day, I just went back to Twitter four hours later and I saw like 1000 plus likes. I wasn’t even expecting it because that was like the period Dammy and other people were doing their own. I saw the comments from people and how they were insulting them but this time around, the insults were even less than the support. I got a lot of yes, at least this is something different, not cooking. I was like okay, it is time to do this since everybody is supporting already.
OO: How did you find your love for painting and art?
OO: It has always been there. I know I remember painting as a child and having a lot of my artworks on my wall, in my room. That was like the genesis. Then, I did arts from JSS1 to SS3 and that was where I learnt most of the things that I know. I went into the make-up industry, I also did a lot of face painting during the period I was practicing as a makeup artist. So, instead of canvases, I was painting faces. Officially, last year (2022) I started sketching on canvas again and that was when I actually started again.
OO: When did you decide art was going to be a full-time career ?
OO: I think it was when I joined the NFT space and I made some sale. I was like so you can sell your artwork for this amount? And the people buying these works they were excited that they even bought the work. By the time I calculated the amount I made from my sales, I made a lot of money.
OO: Like how much?
OO: I think my total then as at last year November was two million naira, from all the sales, all together. There were some on other platforms that I didn’t even calculate, it was like millions. I was like okay. I will just put in more effort into my art. I knew that I didn’t want to remain in the NFT space because it is called web 3 and web 2 is called outside life. I wanted more. I don’t want to make sales online, I want to be able to interact with people outside, to be able to do exhibitions and people would come in real life to see my works and to explain the artworks from their own perspective. That was when I decided I would start the traditional art space. So, it was just me practicing and I saw the opportunity to do the marathon and I took it,
OO: How did you prepare for the marathon?
OO: Physically I had to be ready. So, I did a lot of yoga, I took long walks. It was just me practicing everyday. I practiced for 40 hours on my own. I found out that I had to paint using a brush instead of sketching first before painting. I had to learn how to do that. I knew that it wasn’t business as usual, I had to start practicing how to use a brush to sketch. I was trying to focus on the technique I wanted to use so that I would be able to do like enough works.
OO: What is the biggest you learnt from attempting the longest painting marathon done by an individual?
OO: My biggest lesson is family is everything. The people around you, keep them close because you don’t know when you might need them. I didn’t get any major sponsors, like popular sponsors. I reached out to a lot of people, a lot but I didn’t get any response. Most of them might say they didn’t get my mail. I sent mails to galleries abroad because I am supposed to showcase like some of the works over there. Out of 10 galleries I reached out to abroad, like five responded and explained why they can’t accept my works. Nigerian galleries, none of them responded. Maybe they don’t check their mail or that’s an old email address.
OO: So no sponsors?
OO: No sponsors. It was my family members, everybody came around and they started giving and sending money. All the money I got for the event was from my family and friends. My secondary school friends, my university friends were there. It was just people around, my close friends, and family. They were the ones that actually came out to support.
Although, when we got the other space that was when we got a few sponsors. CTC gave us their cabs to use for our adjudicators, to take them around and also for people who came, they gave them a discount. A tee-shirt company, wears and cross was actually the first person who reached out to me to sponsor and give us shirts for the team members. My childhood friend also sponsored, she gave me her merch. Dunlamy clothing also sponsored. .
OO: Does art pay all your bills?
OO: Sometimes, it doesn’t. NFT can be good today and in like six months you might not sell anything. I think I had one sale before my event. So, you cannot even be sure of the next time you would sell something. That was part of the reasons why I wanted to go traditional and enter into the traditional art space. So that I know that I am doing physical exhibitions and also selling online.
OO: Has anyone ever said anything discouraging about your artworks?
OO: No, not at all. Even I was submitting to some art galleries, I didn’t get any horrible reviews about my work. I am even someone that even if someone is saying something, I don’t care. My brother is like my biggest fan, anytime he sees my artworks, he is always hyping me. My brother, my boyfriend and my brother’s friend, Nifemi. Those three people, anytime they see any of my artworks, they are always hyping me and that is enough for me.
OO: Any highlights from the marathon?
OO: When my mum and my dad spoke. They were talking about the journey, it was even my mum’s own that shocked me because she wanted me to do that law. She hasn’t stopped, she is still always looking for a law job for me till date. I was actually shocked when she started saying things like, I remember when she had artworks all over the wall. I was like, you remember? My dad spoke too and he sounded excited and he was proud. That was another highlight.
OO: How do you think you will feel when GWR accredit you for setting a new record for the longest painting marathon?
OO: I think I will cry first o but I am actually not someone that cries because I don’t know how to cry. Even when it clocked 72 hours, and people were shouting and they were excited. My mum was crying and I was wondering why she was in tears. So, if I am collecting the plaque, I don’t know how I might react. I might just be laughing, I might not cry, I don’t think I will. I know I am going to be very excited because I know what I have been through.
OO: What were the challenges you faced while you were preparing for the marathon and during the marathon?
OO: From the beginning where we reached out to people, sponsors, and they was no feedback.
At end of it all, I am just grateful to God because I know that it was just God because at some point, it felt like maybe we wouldn’t go on. We changed the venue twice. Even when the venue stuff happened the first time, if it was someone else, maybe the person would have moved it to another week. One of my cousin’s friends helped me out, she was the one that got the venue we finally used. We got the venue three days to the event, three days to the event I should have been resting but I going around Lagos looking for a venue.
OO: Do you think there is a gender gap in the art space?
OO: Yeah. Most times on Twitter, you might not even know who you are talking to, if it is a guy or a girl. A lot of times, someone is already saying thanks bro and you are like I am a woman. You have to put that She/Her on your bio or your own pfp. Even putting it, some people would still call you bro because people just feel like the artist should be a man. They just think, oh it is supposed be a man, so they would call you bro first before you clear up the air. Even when you join spaces, you will hear things like, oh I thought you were a guy.
In the art space, there are actually more guys than ladies, so I am trying to do a project for young girls.
OO: Please tell us more about it.
OO: I am working on a project, like a corporate social responsibility project for female children between the ages of like 12-16. Young girls that are interested in art, it is just like giving them a voice and telling them a girl can dream. Just because you are woman doesn’t mean you can’t make it as an artist. That is my next project.
OO: Any words of advice for aspiring female artists?
OO: A girl can dream and you can do it.