Last November, Leisure wrote about Harpenden resident Toula Mavridou-Messer when she landed herself a solo exhibition on the strength of the snapshots she had taken on a roadtrip around the US. This inspired her to begin studying photography and, just a few months into her course, she has learned that one of her photographs has been selected to feature in the Saatchi Online Gallery.

“I was beside myself with excitement,“ laughs the 44-year-old. “I found out via email and I had to read it a few times to make sure that I had understood it properly. It’s not every day that your work gets singled out, especially not by such a prestigious online gallery.“

Toula’s photograph, Pop Art – Live in London, appears in The Shape of Things: Geometric Collection in the online gallery, and shows an apartment building overlooking the Olympic Park in east London.

“My husband and I and a friend decided to visit the Olympic Park and Westfield Stratford City to see what all the fuss was about,“ explains Toula, who divides her time between Harpenden and Los Angeles.

“Walking around that part of London after all of the excitement of the Olympics, in the drizzling rain, seeing parts of the park where paint was peeling and decaying was so incredibly sad and desolate – almost like walking from a colour photograph into a black and white one. And then, right there in the middle of the east London horizon, against the 50 shades of grey of the Olympic Park backdrop, is this incredibly proud and vibrant building, full of colours, shapes and textures. It captured my attention immediately – and clearly also that of the curator of the collection too!“

Toula’s photograph was chosen by Rebecca Wilson, a director at the Saatchi Gallery in London, who was instrumental in the launch of the gallery’s online presence.

“They didn’t specify at first which of my images had been chosen,“ continues Toula, “but when I saw the collection and my photo within it, it made perfect sense. I was so delighted that the curator could see what I had seen, and hopefully what you can see too.“

To be selected by a Saatchi curator at any stage in an artist’s career is a great accolade, but especially so for someone as relatively new to the scene as Toula.

“Everyone knows that the name Saatchi is synonymous with the coolest and most talented artists Britain has ever produced, like Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin,“ says Toula, “so to have your work featured in one of its online collections means that, by association, your work stands out, that it has something that inspires and is unique. As a photographer, what more could I possibly ask for? It’s a massive endorsement and an incredible boost to my confidence.

“Working hard, doing what inspires us, hoping that others will enjoy the finished product but never knowing for sure is difficult, so it is a very much appreciated validation that I am on the right track, and that people are noticing and liking what I’m doing. It’s a dream come true.“