Boy, 11, sells anti-gun abstract art on New York street

NEW YORK, June 24 (UPI) -- A Los Angeles 11-year-old said he made more than $1,000 during the weekend selling his anti-gun-inspired abstract art on the streets of New York.

Charles Gitnick, 11, who has been creating art since he was 5, visited New York with his family during the weekend and netted $1,650 selling 11 abstract works featuring toy guns wrapped in multicolored tape and painted in an abstract style on canvases, the New York Daily News reported Monday.

Gitnick and his father sold the paintings on the street Saturday and Sunday in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood.

A sign posted with the boy's art explained how the artwork reflected his anti-gun feelings.

"My feelings about guns are that they are scary and dangerous," the sign read. "When I create 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."

"I wish guns were only in an art gallery," the sign concludes.

Neil Gitnick, the boy's father, said he covers Charles' travel and day-to-day expenses, but the boy pays for all of his own art supplies by selling his works.