Oyinlola Adeyinka Odumewu, a Nigerian lawyer turned artist, popularly known as Lola Mewu, has broken the Guinness World Record for the longest painting time by an individual.
Lola Mewu began her painting marathon on October 28, 2023, at the Safe House in Adeola Hopewell Street, Eti-Osa, Lagos. Her goal was to beat the previous world record of 60 hours by an extra 12 hours - a record set by Roland Palmaerts in Arches, France, from October 3 to 5, 2013. She reached the 72-hour mark on October 31, but decided to extend her challenge to 82 hours. On November 1, at exactly 4:30 a.m., she completed the feat of 82 hours, achieving the longest painting marathon by an individual.
Lola Mewu's artistic journey began in high school, where she took fine art as a core subject. However, she pursued a different path in university, studying law and graduating in 2015. Despite her legal career, she never lost her passion for art. In 2012, she started learning makeup artistry, and later expanded her skills to face painting. This led to her first professional gig as a face painter in 2019.
In 2022, battling depression, Lola Mewu turned to art as a coping mechanism. She rediscovered her sketching skills and began to venture into digital art. She also began showcasing her digital artworks on NFT (Non-Fungible Token) platforms, where she has successfully sold 13 pieces.
In the past year, Lola Mewu has embarked on a new chapter, creating captivating artworks on canvas. Her artistic style predominantly focuses on portraits mixed with abstract art, creating visually striking compositions that captivate viewers. Beyond the aesthetics, she strives to tell a story through her pieces, each of which is carefully crafted to convey a narrative or evoke specific emotions. Her new feat for the longest painting marathon is yet to be validated by the Guinness World Records.
