It takes years for aspiring artists to get that kind of accolade but what makes it worse for other wannabe artists is that she wasn’t even trying – her abstract picture of a penguin was painted for fun two years ago.
However, it came to the attention of the gallery after Leilah’s mother, Rebekah, 34, tried to download the artwork to a private online folder at home.
Saatchi star: Leilah Poulain Leilah Poulain
Instead, she accidentally uploaded it to a public file which automatically entered Leilah, from Torquay, into a national competition.
‘A year later I’d forgotten about it, and then I got an email saying Leilah was a Saatchi winner,’ said Rebekah.
‘I called them and said, “Thank you, but I don’t know what you’re on about”.
‘Apparently there were 1,700 applicants – but Leilah wasn’t actually one of them. Not on purpose.
‘It was quite funny really. I told my brother, who’s a graphic designer, and he couldn’t believe it. He said he’d love to exhibit at the Saatchi Gallery.’
Yesterday, Leilah’s painting was hanging on the wall of a gallery which features work from the likes of Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin.
The London exhibition hall is famous around the world for its contemporary art. It was opened by advertising guru Charles Saatchi in 1985 to exhibit his own private collection to the public.
Rebekah added: ‘It seems it all happened because I’m such an idiot. I didn’t know what I was doing when I uploaded Leilah’s picture.
‘Leilah’s great. She just loves to draw and paint. Sometimes, she’ll come up with a cracker. She’s got a different take on the world. She’s a lateral thinker.
‘When I told her the picture was going to be in a gallery, she thought it was brilliant.
‘Leilah said, “Does this mean I’m a famous artist?”. She wants to go to see it in London now.’
