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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Schoolboy dubbed 'Mini Monet' sees his earnings soar to £1.5million after his latest 23 works sell for £240,000 in under half an hour


  • .Kieron Williamson, 10, has seen his lifetime earnings soar to nearly £1.5m 
  • .The talented artist sold 23 of his paintings for a total of £242,095 last Friday 
  • .Another sale will be held this Friday - with his artwork likely to sell in minutes 

A 10-year-old art genius is set to see his lifetime earnings soar to nearly £1.5million after selling his latest collection of paintings for more than £240,000.
Schoolboy Kieron Williamson, who is nicknamed Mini Monet because of his incredible brush skills, saw 23 of his artworks snapped up in just 20 minutes for a total of £242,095 last Friday.
The paintings sold for between £2,450 for a small watercolour to £30,000 for a winter snow scene near his home in Trunch near North Walsham, Norfolk.
Proud parents: Ten-year-old Mini Monet Kieron Williamson next to a work in progress on the Norfolk broads with his mother Michelle and father Keith
Proud parents: Ten-year-old Mini Monet Kieron Williamson next to a work in progress on the Norfolk broads with his mother Michelle and father Keith
A millionaire: Kieron Williamson, 10, has seen his lifetime earnings approach £1.5million after a collection of 23 paintings sold for a total of £242,095 last Friday
A millionaire: Kieron Williamson, 10, has seen his lifetime earnings approach £1.5million after a collection of 23 paintings sold for a total of £242,095 last Friday
Inspiring: Kieron Williamson has stunned the art world with his incredible landscape paintings - at the age of ten
Inspiring: Kieron Williamson has stunned the art world with his incredible landscape paintings - at the age of ten
Advanced: Kieron is considered to be well beyond his years in his level of talent and has stunned art lovers the world over
Advanced: Kieron is considered to be well beyond his years in his level of talent and has stunned art lovers the world over
The sale of another dozen of his most recent oil paintings and watercolours will take place this Friday when his new exhibition opens at the Picturecraft gallery in Holt, Norfolk.
The paintings which are priced at a total of around £100,000 are also expected to be sold within a few minutes.
 
Kieron’s parents Keith, 46, and Michelle, 40, believe that the continuing popularity of his artwork will soon push his earnings so far to nearly £1.5million.
The money is being invested on behalf of Kieron until he is aged 18, but he has already bought a new £150,000 house in the Norfolk Broads village of Ludham.
He is now busy overseeing the conversion of it into his own art gallery which will sell paintings by classic artists including East Anglia’s Edmund Seago and Alfred Munnings.
Kieron who has a sister Billie-Jo, nine, began to paint landscapes at the age of five on a family holiday in Devon and Cornwall in 2008.
On display: Kieron's latest collection of work will go on display at the Picturecraft gallery in Holt, Norfolk, before being sold this Friday
On display: Kieron's latest collection of work will go on display at the Picturecraft gallery in Holt, Norfolk, before being sold this Friday
Latest work: One of Kieron's new original paintings of a snow scene near his home in Norfolk which went on display at the Picturecraft Gallery in Holt
Latest work: One of Kieron's new original paintings of a snow scene near his home in Norfolk which went on display at the Picturecraft Gallery in Holt
Popular: Dubbed the Mini Monet, Kieron's next collection of paintings go on sale this Friday and are expected to sell within a few minutes
Popular: Dubbed the Mini Monet, Kieron's next collection of paintings go on sale this Friday and are expected to sell within a few minutes
Future: Kieron has used his earnings to buy a £150,000 house in Ludham on the Norfolk Broads which he plans to convert into an art gallery
Future: Kieron has used his earnings from his paintings to buy a £150,000 house in Ludham on the Norfolk Broads which he plans to convert into an art gallery
His previous artistic talents were limited to colouring in dinosaurs which his parents had drawn for him.
Mr Williamson, who plans to work in his son’s gallery when it opens in September, said: 'Everyone in the art world reckons that his work has gone up a load of notches in the last year.
'Some of the bits and pieces he has done lately are just phenomenal. We don’t put any pressure on him. He just paints when he wants to. 
'There might be two or three months when he paints all the time, then for a few weeks he will just do sketches.
'He is just a normal boy who loves football. Apart from being a great artist, he is also very strong for his age and athletic.'
Most of his paintings are of landscapes around Norfolk where he has lived all his life and Cornwall which is his favourite holiday spot. 
'Just a normal boy': In his spare time, Kieron loves to play football and other sports
'Just a normal boy': In his spare time, and when he's not painting, Kieron loves to play football and other sports
Natural talent: Before picking up a paintbrush at the age of five, the only artwork Kieron had done was colouring in pictures of dinosaurs
Natural talent: Before picking up a paintbrush at the age of five, the only artwork Kieron had done was colouring in pictures of dinosaurs
Fan base: Kieron has fans all around the world with buyers of his artwork coming from as far afield as America, Canada and Japan
Fan base: Kieron has fans all around the world with buyers of his artwork coming from as far afield as America, Canada and Japan
His latest buyers have come from across the UK and Europe and as far away as the United States, Japan and Canada.
All the paintings which were sold last week will be exhibited at the Picturecraft gallery, along with the others which will be up for sale.
Kieron’s earnings are all being channelled through his own company Kieron Williamson Limited which has his parents as directors
Mr Williamson said: 'This exhibition should take his earnings from when he started to close to £1.5million.
'He pays VAT like any other business and he has just had a massive tax bill. The house at Ludham is his and he wants to live there on his own one day.
'He is not really motivated by the money side of things. He just wants to do paintings that people will like.'
Kieron will be leaving Ludham Primary School this week and will be home-tutored from next year so he can concentrate on painting.
Career: Kieron Williamson finishes primary school this week and will be home-taught in future so he can dedicate more time to his painting
Career: Kieron Williamson finishes primary school this week and will be home-taught in future so he can dedicate more time to his painting
Striking sunset: The majority of Kieron's oil paintings and watercolours are of the surrounding landscapes near his home in Norfolk
Striking sunset: The majority of Kieron's oil paintings and watercolours are of the surrounding landscapes near his home in Norfolk
Strong endorsement: A senior figure at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters described Kieron as the future of oil painting in the UK
Strong endorsement: A senior figure at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters described Kieron as the future of oil painting in the UK
Mr Williamson added: 'We have not got a problem with him being at home because he is so self-motivated. He is a bright lad and we expect to fast-track him his GCSEs when he is 13 or 14.'
Adrian Hill, the managing director of the Picturecraft gallery, said: 'Kieron’s paintings continue to be overwhelming and quite incredible.
'I have seen him evolve and there has been a measured improvement in his work over the last year. 
'He now seems to have elevated himself to another level. There is more confidence in his brush strokes
'The recognition from art critics and fine artists is absolutely remarkable. A senior figure from the Royal Institute of Oil Painters who met him described him as the future of oil painting in the UK.
'People just cannot believe that he is producing work like he does and he is still only ten-years-old.'
Kieron’s work first came on the market in 2009 when 19 of his paintings were sold for £14,000 in a sealed bid auction.
Aspirations: Kieron hopes to display artwork by classic artists such as East Anglia's Edmund Seago and Alfred Munnings in his gallery when it opens
Aspirations: Kieron hopes to display artwork by classic artists such as East Anglia's Edmund Seago and Alfred Munnings in his gallery when it opens
Starting out: Kieron's work first came on the market in 2009 and stunned the art world with 19 of his paintings selling for £14,000
Starting out: Kieron's work first came on the market in 2009 and stunned the art world with 19 of his paintings selling for £14,000
Versatile: But some of his images are centered around city scenes rather than the countryside
Versatile: But some of his images are centered around city scenes rather than the countryside
Progressing: Experts say that Kieron's work continues to get better and better
Progressing: Experts say that Kieron's work continues to get better and better
Three months later another 16 of his paintings were up snapped for £17,000 in just 14 minutes in his second exhibition at the Picturecraft gallery.
An exhibition of 33 of his oils, watercolours and pastels sold out within half an hour for £150,000 in July 2010 with buyers flying in from Arizona, New York and South Africa.
Some fans camped outside the gallery for up to 48 hours to make sure they did not miss out on one of his paintings while others telephoned in bids from Tokyo, Canada and Germany.
Kieron made £106,260 in November 2011 when another exhibition of a dozen paintings sold out in just ten minutes and 50 seconds.
His earnings rocketed by another £250,000 last July with the sale of 24 paintings.
Mrs Williamson has now written a book detailing her son’s astonishing career, called ‘Kieron Williamson Coming to Light - The Remarkable Story of a Child’s Gift to Painting’.
Striking: Kieron will likely sit most of his GCSEs early - when he is just 13 or 14-years-old
Striking: Kieron will likely sit most of his GCSEs early - when he is just 13 or 14-years-old
Goal: Kieron's parents say he only paints when he wants to and is not interested in the money - he just wants to create work people like
Goal: Kieron's parents say he only paints when he wants to and is not interested in the money - he just wants to create work people like
Kieron sometimes paints for months at a time but will then have a break of a few weeks
Kieron sometimes paints for months at a time but will then have a break of a few weeks
Passion: Kieron sometimes paints for months at a time but will then have a break of a few weeks 
In demand: Kieron's work has attracted attention from around the world with many fans camping out 48 hours ahead of his artwork going on sale to make sure they don't miss out
In demand: Kieron's work has attracted attention from around the world with many fans camping out 48 hours ahead of his artwork going on sale to make sure they don't miss out

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