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Decorating your child’s room with an abstract painting might not be your first choice, but today we venture this way because this painting is the work of six-year old child artist prodigy, Marla Olmstead. First discovered and covered in the New York Times in 2004, Marla has continued to paint enjoying a growing following and international recognition.
This Saturday, June 24, is the opening reception of Marla’s new work at A. StuART Gallery in Encino, California.
Marla started painting along side her dad at the age of two, and her great-grandfather, great-uncle, great-aunt and two of her second cousins are/were professional artists. She is also the descendent of Frederick Law Olmsted, landscape architect of Central Park. Is it the genes?
Needless to say, six-year old Marla is on her way to paying for her own college education, and much more.
Watch Marla paint in these two videos – part 1 and part 2.
Original paintings and limited edition prints are available. For more information, visit Marla Olmstead’s website.
"Lollipop House"
"Mosquito Bite"
"Dandelions"
link: Marla Olmstead website
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{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
mmmm……Chimp Congo also painted…..
According to a 60 Minutes expose and the documentary “My Kid Could Paint That,” Myra’s father either does most of the painting or heavily coaches Myra.
I did not get the feeling from ‘My Kid Could Paint That’ that Marla’s dad coached or did it for her. I am an art teacher and kids ask me all the time to do it for them — I never do, but they still ask. Having Marla ask him for direction or to do it for her is very developmentally appropriate.
sorry, i’m new to the blog but had to respond to the previous posters who stated that marla did not do the majority of this work. any viewing of the documentary or the expose makes it obvious that, while she may be coached or coaxed, marla is simply an amazingly talented painter. to compare any bright, beautiful child to a chimp makes me question the poster’s humanity. please respect this little girl.
I have to concur with the last blogger and say — no, if you watch the documentary, “My Kid Could Paint That” it leaves the viewer with an ambiguous ending. There is no definitive stance on whether or not Marla is doing all the painting by herself (or without couching). But regardless, it is amazing.
I think in the end of it, you had a bunch of naive parents who simply did not know what they were claiming when they said they didn’t do any coaching, since the choice of canvas sizes (etc.) leave some direction beyond that of a 3/4 year old child.
Why would anyone consider your opinion Clotilde, when you don’t even know the little girl’s name is Marla?! Idiot
I love Marla’s paitings and I believe she did them herself. And of course she would need her parents help to buy paint and canvas. If he was coaching her, what is the big deal? as long as he does not touch the canvas.
I watched the documentary. Made me sick to see how nasty people can be whether or not she get’s help from her father. It’s art. Marla will have a lot of influence by whoever will be around her…particularly at the time she paints…which obviously means her family. How she feels that day…probably heavily influenced by her family. What colors she has available to her when she begins…influenced by her parents. Maybe when Marla is frustrated and yells for help, her parents may yell something out to like “try Red”…just to get her over a little mental hump. But…does that mean that Marla really didn’t do the painting on her own. Come on. If Marla were to yell to her dad…”dad, come step on my painting…I want a footstep on my painting” would that mean he interfered? It’s art. Whether the father did any of it…it’s art. Whether it’s an accident or not…it’s art. Do you like it…then it doesn’t matter how it was produced. It’s art. Did Marla even know what she was doing in the beginning? Please…of course not. Prodigy…no. Artist..yes. Amazing art…absolutely. If you like it, enjoy it. If you don’t, go look elsewhere. It’s simple.
I agree completely. After watching the videos about Marla and all the hoopla about if her dad helped — I asked myself why does it matter. Does it make the paintings any less amazing – no. Does it make the patterns and colors any less interesting- no. What if the dad did help and the story was about father/daughter paintings — is it going to change the outcome – no. So if the painting is amazing does it really matter who did it? Besides, anyone who knows understand or knows about art history — many of the worlds famous artists had people that worked under them, starting paintings and sculptures and then the artist would finish them. It’s crazy to think that people would bring down this little girl and this family based on a story around it — the art is beautiful no matter how it was created — the story does not make it art — the paint and the colors make it art.
Appreciate art for art’s sake not the artist. It’s about expression, interpretation, and appreciation. Take faith in that what lays before you is an abstract canvas.
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet
When all else fails simply pick up a brush or a pencil and put it to task and remember that there are those who can, those who can’t, and those who will always need to hear their own voice.
Take the paintings as they are and let Marla be a kid. There’s more than enough in life to toil about without tearing apart things meant to enrich our lives.
Ok, I think we all know, esp after watching the dvd that her father painted the paintings. No brainer, in my opinion.
I like the pieces for their abstract beauty and somewhat average style. The issue is that I do not believe it was painted by a 4,5, or 6 year old. SOME might have been done even MOST by Miss Marla but the polishing off-well even 20 hours of Marla painting would not prove to the real world it is any piece of art let alone home deco`r. But be rest assured howevr that whoever bought those pieces may rest asure that only the greatest con of a thief would want to steal her paintings[or should i say Mr. Olmstead's LOL]
I just watched the movie, My Kid Could Paint That, last night. No way did Marla do most of the work. She pushes paint around, just like any child does. Her father was at home when her mom wasn’t and manipulated his child into a cash cow. Sick.
I THINK MARLA HAS A GIFT! AND WHO CARES IF THE FATHER ASSIST HER WITH GIVEN HER THE PAINT BRUSH OR WHATEVER,U CAN SIMPLY TELL MARLA DOES THE WORK!!! NOT THE PARENTS. IT AMAZEZ ME HOW EVERY1 WAS IN AWW” WHEN THEY SAW THAT A 3YR OLD COULD PAINT,THEN 60SECONDS CAME ON AND MADE ALMOST EVERYONE BELIVE THAT SHE DID NOT DO THEM,THAT SHE GOT HELP FROM THE DAD,AND SUDDENTLY EVERYONE THAT PRASE HER,NOW HATES HER PAINTINGS AND TALK BAD ABOUT THE PARENTS! PLEASE GET A LIFE AND LEAVE THIS LITTLE GIRL ALONE! MARLA YOUR A BLESSED LITTLE GIRL! KEEP DOING WHAT YOUR BEST AT!MY CHILD IS 3YRS OLD AND HE CAN COME UP WIT AMAZING PAINTINGS TOO,THAT I CANT BELIVE MY SELF.SO I BELIVE U DO PAINT THEM.TAKE CARE BABY GIRL AND MAY GOD HOLD AND GUIDE U THREW ALL THE UPS AND DOWNS AHEAD OF U..AMBER XOX
Marla has produced some wonderful pieces, notably “Flowers,” “Ocean,” “Mosquito Bite,” “Asian Sun,” “Glitter, “Sick Teeth” and “Roads.” She has probably produced more by now. She has also produced a few that just look like four-year-old finger paintings. This doesn’t matter. Artists have good days and bad days.
Of course her father coached her, and apparently, it was very minimal. A four-year old doesn’t even know what paint IS unless you tell her. He gave her the paint, the brushes, the canvases, the squeeze-bottles filled with paint and said “Go for it. Pull the brush instead of push it.” So what? This doesn’t matter in the slightest. If you condemn this, then you condemn every artist who ever studied art under an instructor, which is virtually all of them. Artists learn from teachers, from studying under other artists. Remember, being labeled “self-taught” is high insult in the art world.
Marla’s works are wonderful and I wish I could afford one. Once she grows up starts to think too much about it, they won’t be as good, so buy her early works, where the lack of adult judgementalism and spontaneity virtually glow.
By the way, stupid title. She’s no “Picasso” in the making. Picasso never painted anything even remotely like Marla’s paintings. But her paintings do resemble those of Jackson Pollock. Learn something about art if you’re going to write about it.
It is much like the director of the film said about a bottle of water. You could take two bottles of water and say that one of them is just plain old bottled water, and you could lie and say that the other bottle was once the property of Abraham Lincoln. Any way you cut it, the bottle becomes more valuable or interesting because of the lie spun around it. I think the father should be ashamed of himself and believe with all my heart that he is exploiting his child and living vicariously through her.
I love how everyone has an opinion and has to restate the exact same thing everyone else has already said. She’s SIX FREAKING YEARS OLD! Let her be a kid and use her art as a creative outlet. I wish I had had the opportunity and such an AWESOME father to encourage me as a child. I’m very proud of Marla and I’m also very proud of her parents for being so supportive of her especially through such hard times and criticism. Much love and respect to the Olmstead family,
~Angie “Warhol” Miller
I love Marla!! I was doing a search on her and couldnt find her website.. I know that she had one about a year ago. but cant find it now.. can anyone direct me to her website? thanks in advance
marla es una niña hermosa espero q puedan traducir el mnsj lo vi por televicion y me emocione mucho por el simple echo de q es una niña inocente q ama pintar eso es muy importante en los niños porq los mantiene fuera de este mundo q es muy destructivo la tecnologia destruye al ser humano y la pintura….el arte es algo hermoso felicidades por su niña gimena de argentina
I met the filmmaker of My Kid Could Paint that. It seems that HE believes she did not paint those paintings, or at least not all of them. Personally, I agree. Many of the brush strokes in the "more refined" paintings are simply NOT POSSIBLE based on the movements of Marla's hands in the videos we do see of her painting. I think Marla is a very charming little girl, and it's great that she love to paint, but it is very clear to me that she simply does not have (DID not have, excuse me) the physical ability to paint the way that is required in order to create those works of art.
Look at this painting, for example http://electricityandlust.files.wordpress.com/200... There is VERY CLEAR distinction between the background, presumably painted by her father, and the green marks that she is seems painting on the canvas. Completely different style,the color choices don't agree, and the brush strokes are completely different.
The film is meant to be open-ended, leaving you to draw your own conclusion. Clearly, Amir Bar-Lev has done a good job. Everyone still has different opinions.