by Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi

“Hopefully my art will get people talking about gun violence, I wish guns were only in an art gallery.” These are the words of the 11 year old child prodigy artist, Charles Gitnick, who makes a very wise, mature and strong statement about gun control in the US., by placing toy guns on canvases, wrapping them in multicoloured tape and sprinkling them with paint.

The young Los Angeles Tween started painting at the age of 5 and already boasts a great media coverage, with tributes from Newsday and NY Dailynews. When asked about his artwork and his personal opinion on weapons he replied: “My feelings about guns are that they are scary and dangerous. When I make one of my pieces, I create a background and then I camouflage the gun to make it almost invisible. The gun is still there but it’s hard to see it or you don’t see it for what it really is. Hopefully my art will get people talking about guns, gun safety and gun violence.”

The West Coast artist recently exhibited his paintings in New York and made $2,500 by selling 17 pieces on Prince Street and West Broadway in a weekend. Charles’ father said that the kid artist will be back in SoHo, this time branching out with guns on Plexiglas. If you happen to get around the neighbourhood, invest in a young and talented artist, in 10 years time you may discover you own a piece of the new Jackson Pollock or Christo who glorified the expression “Put Flowers In Your Guns!”

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