10 YEAR OLD ARTIST PAINTS LIKE PABLO PICASSO

THEIR THICK BOLD BLACK LINES, VIBRANT COLOURS AND DISJOINTED, CUBIST FORMS HAVE DRAWN INEVITABLE COMPARISONS WITH THE PAINTINGS OF RENOWNED ARTIST PABLO PICASSO. BUT INSTEAD THEY ARE THE STUNNING WORK OF A TEN YEAR OLD BOY, WHO HAS STUNNED THE ART WORLD WITH HIS ECHOES OF THE SPANISH GENIUS BEFORE EVER SEEING HIS PIECES. HAMAD AL HUMAIDHAN HAS BEEN SIGNED BY AN INTERNATIONAL ART AGENCY DESPITE STILL BEING IN PRIMARY SCHOOL. THE 4ft YOUNGSTER HAS SOLD SEVERAL OF HIS PAINTINGS FOR £650 EACH AND WILL HOLD HIS DEBUT EXHIBITION THIS SUMMER. HIS TECHNIQUE INVOLVES CLOSING HIS EYES, SEEING AN IMAGE OF A PAINTING IN HIS HEAD AND THEN TRANSFERRING IT TO THE CANVAS, HE SAID. THE TALENTED SCHOOLBOY FIRST STARTED PAINTING AFTER HIS FAMILY MOVED FROM KUWAIT TO BATH, IN NORTH-EAST SOMERSET, THREE YEARS AGO. HE SAW HIS FATHER WALID, AN AMATEUR ARTIST, CARRYING A BLANK CANVAS UNDER HIS ARM AND ASKED TO BORROW IT. HOURS LATER HE DISCOVERED HIS SON HAD PAINTED A SIMPLE PORTRAIT OF CRISTIANO RONALDO. THE USE OF COLOUR AND FORM WERE ENOUGH FOR HIM TO KEEP ENCOURAGING HIS SON, WHO SOON BEGAN TO USE ACRYLICS TO PRODUCE PICASSO-LIKE ABSTRACT PAINTINGS. HIS SON WAS SIGNED BY THE AGENCY TURNER FINE ARTS THIS YEAR AND HAS SOLD SIX PAINTINGS SO FAR. HAMAD'S AGENT STEVE TURNER SAID: 'WHEN I SAW HIS WORK I WAS AMAZED AT HOW COMPLICATED IT WAS AND THAT THE SHADES AND HUES WERE SO INCREDIBLE. THE REACTION WE HAVE GOT FROM PEOPLE HAS BEEN QUITE EXTRAORDINARY. FOR ME IT'S EXCITING TO FIND SOMEONE SO YOUNG WHO IS ALREADY SHOWING SO MUCH POTENTIAL. IT WILL BE FASCINATING TO SEE HOW HIS STYLE DEVELOPS OVER THE YEARS.' HAMAD'S FIRST EXHIBITION WILL BE AT THE LLANGOLLEN INTERNATIONAL PAVILION, IN NORTH WALES, FROM 5-6.JUNE.