Arsh Pal, a 12-year-old artist from Dubuque, Iowa, has been selling his artwork since the age of 8. The youngster wished to raise $1,000 (approx 82,000) for charity. He has, however, far surpassed his goal four years later. Arsh has sold hundreds of his acrylic and watercolour paintings for a total of more than $15,000 (around Rs 12 lakh). Except for a small portion that he requires for supplies, every dollar has gone to charities that help children.
Arsh believes that youth have the ability to change the world. While speaking with The Washington Post, his mother told that he has always been artistically inclined. Divya Pal and her husband, Sanjeev, enrolled their son in extracurricular activities including piano, karate, and gymnastics, but he preferred art.
Arsh received a watercolour set as his eighth birthday gift from Divya and Sanjeev. He learned to paint by spending all of his free time in front of a canvas.
When a stack of finished canvases began to pile up, he decided to give them away to friends and family. He also displayed some pieces at his school, which were purchased by people.
Around the same time, Arsh was quite often attending a local nursing home where his mother works as an occupational therapist. Spending time there inspired him to begin selling his art for charitable purposes. So, he began his fundraising initiative, dubbed Art by Arsh. His paintings are available for purchase at local art shows, restaurants, and libraries, as well as on his Instagram and Facebook pages.
In 2018, he gave his first $1,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and he has since expanded his support to include organizations such as Easterseals, Compass to Care, the Riverview Center, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
He told the leading daily that the cost of his work varies depending on its size and complexity. Small pieces, for example, have sold for $10 (over Rs 800), whereas larger paintings, which can reach five feet in length, have sold for $800. He earned $10,000 (nearly Rs 8 lakh) by auctioning two pieces at a charity event last fall.
“One of my future goals is to make art accessible for kids who want to express themselves,” Arsh told Washington Post. The little one has already started providing free art lessons to local children and is hopeful to grow his classes in the future.
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