4-year-old abstract painter dazzles art world

A four-year-old girl is winning praise in New York and around the world for her colourful abstract paintings, some of which are going for as much as $15,000 US.

Marla Olmstead, who had her first "official" show last August, reportedly began painting before the age of two. Her father Mark, an amateur artist, gave her brushes, paint and some paper to keep her from distracting him from his hobby. He soon realized her talent, moved her to working with canvas and became her "assistant."

The toddler began her rise to fame when her parents – a factory worker and a part-time receptionist – had a friend display some of her work at a local coffeehouse. Soon, the owner began receiving offers to buy Olmstead's paintings, which included a three-foot-by-four-foot acrylic painting entitled All Kinds of Colours (the same name the youngster gave to many of her early paintings).

 

Young artist Marla Olmstead, 4, plays with paint brushes next to her artwork (AP photo)

"Realistically, we didn't envision anything coming from it, except it was fun for us, fun for Marla," her mother, Laura Olmstead, told the Associated Press.

 

Layering technique "impressive" for a child

Though skeptics might question the value of Olmstead's vibrant swirls and streaks of colour, gallery owner Anthony Brunelli says there's no question the shy little girl is talented.

A four-year-old girl is winning praise in New York and around the world for her colourful abstract paintings, some of which are going for as much as $15,000 US.

Marla Olmstead, who had her first "official" show last August, reportedly began painting before the age of two. Her father Mark, an amateur artist, gave her brushes, paint and some paper to keep her from distracting him from his hobby. He soon realized her talent, moved her to working with canvas and became her "assistant."

The toddler began her rise to fame when her parents – a factory worker and a part-time receptionist – had a friend display some of her work at a local coffeehouse. Soon, the owner began receiving offers to buy Olmstead's paintings, which included a three-foot-by-four-foot acrylic painting entitled All Kinds of Colours (the same name the youngster gave to many of her early paintings).

 

 

Young artist Marla Olmstead, 4, plays with paint brushes next to her artwork (AP photo)

"Realistically, we didn't envision anything coming from it, except it was fun for us, fun for Marla," her mother, Laura Olmstead, told the Associated Press.

 

Layering technique "impressive" for a child

Though skeptics might question the value of Olmstead's vibrant swirls and streaks of colour, gallery owner Anthony Brunelli says there's no question the shy little girl is talented.

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"She builds her paintings in layers. Children don't do that. She starts with big swatches of colors and then adds details and accents on to that. That's what is so impressive and beyond what other children do," said Brunelli, who gave the artist her first gallery show.

Olmstead's technique is also evolving. When she began painting, she used brushes and her fingers. As she moved forward, she created larger canvases, and began working with new tools such as plastic squeeze bottles. Now she has begun dabbling in Jackson Pollock-like drips and dribbles.

Though impressed with Olmstead's vision and process, Buzz Spector, chair of Cornell University's art department, said that given the right materials and influence, many children can produce surprisingly complicated abstract paintings.

However, the New York Times held such a test last fall, giving a group of youngsters oil paint and canvas to replace their tempera and paper. The verdict was that Olmstead can rest easy about her competition.

With titles like Aquarium and Lollipops, Olmstead's paintings demonstrate a "beautiful sense of color and material," but, Spector said, they lack cultural and spiritual sophistication.

Recently, there have been other child prodigies in the art world.

Romanian-born Alexandra Nechita, 18, started painting at about the same age as Olmstead and was called the "child Picasso" by art critics. Her work has sold for more than $1.5 million US. Beso Kazaishvili, an 18-year-old from the Republic of Georgia, began earning $150,000 US for his paintings before he had reached the age of 10. His work has been compared to that of surrealist master Salvador Dali.

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• 2007-09-29 22:07
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