Three-year-old Noah Lyle has been selling his paintings on eBay. BELOW: Noah's work "Purple Goldfish" Julie Sullivan/ Nevada appeal News Service
Modern abstract painter Noah Lyle, 3, of South Lake Tahoe, is using the Internet to sell his work - and he's been successful.
If a potato, a dog's DNA and the California town of Bridgeville can sell - why not children's art?
After 350 hits, Noah sold a collection of six pieces last week on eBay for $13.50, his father, Tony Lyle, said. The pieces were labeled blue blow art, farm animals, flowers, fruit prints, spaceship and purple. The latter was billed "one of the messiest pieces," Lyle said, speaking for his young artist.
Lyle said he puts his son outside on the deck with a palette of paints and an easel.
"I don't want green carpet," he said, referring to the beige rug.
But Lyle whole-heartedly supports his son's talent.
When Noah orders a color, his father delivers.
"Here's your brush," Lyle said, observing the blue man Noah painted.
Noah was trying to explain it was Daddy.
"That's silly. I haven't got a blue face," Lyle said, and the two of them giggled.
Lyle acknowledged his son is gifted. It helps that mom, Eunie - who runs the Blue Angel Cafe - was an art teacher.
Noah attends the Lake Tahoe Community College Child Development Center, where they encourage him to live up to his full potential.
"We see a lot of his work and the way he interacts with people. He's an absolute crack-up," LTCC's child development teacher Mindy Maiwald said. "I think it's really cool he does something that people like."
Noah has found the balance between being a kid and acting mature about some things.
"Ever since he was a baby, we didn't use baby talk with him. You reason with him and tell him what to do," Lyle said. "He always wanted to paint."
The walls of their Bijou-area home are adorned with Noah's work.
There's an American flag with the stripes formed by his fingers. He also used his fingers to print the petals of a flower.
Noah started painting at age 1 and two years later, he knows what eBay is and uses it to his benefit.
"You sell pictures and get toys," the boy said.
He wants to buy a SpongeBob SquarePants DVD with the proceeds from his first sale.
