Meet Fil-Am toddler known in NY as pint-sized Picasso

Don Tagala, ABS-CBN News
Posted at Mar 27 2019 07:01 PM
Watch more in iWant or TFC.tv
NEW YORK CITY - A 2-year old Filipino-American in New York City has been making waves in the art scene, creating paintings that have sold for as much as $23,000 each.
To the untrained eye, Fil-Am Lola June looks like any other toddler playing with paper and paint. But to New York City’s art community, she is known as the pint-sized Picasso.
The expressionist been featured in local media. Her recent solo art exhibition sold 30 of the 40 artworks she recently created.
Mixed media artist Pajtim Osmonaj, the show’s curator, discovered the young Fil-Am’s talent in her own living room.
While visiting mom Lucille Javier, Osmanaj saw something special in Lola June’s scribbles.
“That made me to think ‘Oh, I wanna see more of her work, how she can express herself with better materials,” he said.
Viewed side by side, Osmanaj said Lola June’s free scribbles on solid canvass resembles pieces by Edwin Parker “Cy” Twombly, an American painter, sculptor and photographer who rose to fame in the 50’s.
“Lola’s work is very natural and very spontaneously put-together. If you understand more about abstract art, especially abstract expressionist art, they will see how great these pieces are,” he added.
Lola June’s Fil-Am mom is an artist herself who uses hair as her canvass- she is a hair colorist in New York City. 
Lola’s dad is also known in the world of hair, celebrity hair stylist Mark Bustos, who became known for giving free haircuts to the homeless.
“My family are immigrants from the Philippines, have given me the opportunity to shine in however it was, and it happens that I do hair that’s a form of art and for Lola, I’m giving her the opportunity—any child can create art but giving them the right tools, just the chance,” she said.
According to local news stories, some art collectors have paid from $500 to $23,000 dollars for Lola's work.
Lucille said sales from all of Lola’s art will go into her own savings account which she can use for education in the future.

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