Six-Year Old Art Prodigy -- New Jackson Pollock -- Whose Art Sells for $20,000, to Open Only West Coast Show at A StuART Gallery in Encino, CA on June 24

Marla Olmstead, a six-year-old girl who has won praise in New York and around the world for her colorful abstract paintings, that are drawing comparisons with Jackson Pollock and Wassily Kandinsky, and fetching more than $20,000 in some cases, will open her first one-girl art show in the Western United States in person this week-end in Encino, CA. The exclusive show includes 23 original works that Marla painted between the ages of four and six and opens on Saturday evening, June 24th at A StuART Gallery, 17946 Ventura Boulevard, Encino (in the Los Angeles area), and runs through August 20, 2006. Marla and her family will be in town for the opening reception, which is on June 24th from 7PM - 11PM. Marla's work can only be publicly viewed in two locations in the USA -- Binghamton, NY, and at A StuART Gallery in Encino, CA.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) June 22, 2006 -- Marla Olmstead, a six-year-old girl who has won praise in New York and around the world for her colorful abstract paintings, that are drawing comparisons with Jackson Pollock and Wassily Kandinsky, and fetching more than $20,000 in some cases, will open her first one-girl art show in the Western United States this week-end in Encino, CA. The exclusive show includes 23 original works that Marla painted between the ages of four and six and opens on Saturday evening, June 24th at A StuART Gallery, 17946 Ventura Boulevard, Encino (in the Los Angeles area), and runs through August 20, 2006. Marla and her family will be in town for the opening reception, which is on June 24th from 7PM - 11PM. Marla's work can only be publicly viewed in two locations in the USA -- Binghamton, NY, and at A StuART Gallery in Encino, CA.

A StuART Gallery, the sole agent for Marla’s work on the West Coast, is owned by noted Los Angeles-based art collectors Stuart and Marte Simpson -- the Simpsons, whose collection includes works by Monet and Renoir, have been collecting art for the past 38 years. The Simpsons first started collecting paintings and sculpture on their honeymoon, and since then, they've added pieces from all over the world, making a point of always seeking out artists and art galleries wherever they find themselves. Two years ago, while conducting business in Binghamton, New York, Stu heard about Marla. He was deeply impressed with her work, and bought three pieces, including one called "Bottom Feeder." Stu, who typically doesn't like abstract art, says he would have paid “any price” for the Marla he bought -- he suggests that what he saw in Marla's work was “her soul”. After buying Marla's paintings, the relationship between the Simpsons and the Olmsteads evolved over several months and visits between the East and West Coast into a family friendship. When Marte and Stu fulfilled a life-long dream of opening their own gallery several months ago, the Olmsteads called and asked if the Simpsons would be interested in representing Marla's paintings on the West Coast.

Marla, who lives with her mother, father and younger brother in Binghamton, New York, has been painting since just before she was two years old. Using brushes, spatulas, her fingers and even ketchup bottles, she has created canvases that are as large as six by six foot. Marla, whose first show opened in Binghamton in August 2004, 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," handing her the brushes. Most of Mark's canvases have been painted over by Marla, because he couldn't afford to keep buying her more blank ones. Marla will work on a painting over several days, and is in control of her art process -- only she knows when her painting is finished. In fact, Laura, her mother, says that it's hard to watch her paint, because there are times when her parents feel that some of her best work has been painted over. The little girl began her rise to fame when her parents -- Mark, a factory worker and Laura, a part-time receptionist -- had a friend display some of her work at a local coffeehouse (Laura's friend Andy runs the coffee shop, and suggested they put Marla's pictures up). Soon, Andy began receiving offers to buy Olmstead's paintings, which included a three-foot-by-four-foot acrylic painting entitled All Kinds of Colors (the same name the little girl gave to many of her early paintings). Laura says that, realistically, they didn't envision anything coming from it, except that it was fun for Marla and for them. Since that first opening, her large-scale abstract works have already been compared to those of Kandinsky, Pollock, Klee and Miró, and have been sold for over $20,000. Website: www.a-stuart-gallery.com.

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