Artist Layla Andrews showcases newest work

Layla Andrews, 22, is launching her Feast And Famine portraits at the Oxo Tower on London’s South Bank on February 26.

In 2017, the young artist, who is in the final year of her history degree at Brighton University, painted a picture of Obama.

He ended up seeing it, thanks to a member of White House staff Layla met while on holiday in America, and sent her a letter of thanks.

Now Layla is hoping to make even more of an impression with her new exhibition.

She said: “I’m really looking forward to it, it’s quite a daunting task.

“Because I’m quite young I’m having to organise it all myself but once I’m there and talking to people about my work that makes it all worthwhile.”

She said she named the exhibition Feast And Famine to highlight “elitism and opportunity” within the art world.

She said: “Some of my pieces are abstract and some are more expressionist – which means they’re very colourful and vibrant but you can still tell who it is.

“Art is a strange thing, it’s tough to describe to what it actually is. Some pieces are more political because that may be what inspires me on a certain day and some are just people I know. But it’s all very personal to me.”

As well as impressing the former most powerful man in the world, Layla’s admirers stretch far beyond Barack Obama.

The South African Embassy bought Layla’s portrait of Nelson Mandela, which she painted when she was 15.

She was then invited to attend Mandela’s funeral.

She said: “When you put your art out there it will always be open to scrutiny because art is so subjective, so you have to remain confident that if you are happy with it, then that’s what counts.

“It has also been incredibly useful in giving my art a space – people tend to think if Obama likes it, it must be all right.

“I always say, if you paint what you like and like what you paint then you are doing it right.”

Feast And Famine is on show at the Oxo Tower in London from February 26 until March 4.