New Bedford Baby Raises Money For Charity With Finger Paintings

NEW BEDFORD (CBS) -- She's an artist at only eight months old, and this baby's finger paintings are helping other kids. It started out as just a fun activity, and though she's too young to know it, little Charlotte Allison is making a difference.

"Charli's" work follows in the footsteps of the great abstract artists, each one open to our own interpretations, and the true meaning known only to her young brain.

"She started painting when she was four months old. I started it as an activity," said Charli's mother, Kristy Allison.

Now Charli is a budding artist with her first exhibit at Fairhaven's Millicent Library.

"I like to say the paintings really reflect her mood and her curiosity," Allison said.

Charli chooses her own colors by grabbing a couple of her colorful stacking toys. On Friday, it was orange and blue.

"Once she picks out the colors I put a few dabs of paint on a canvas and slide the canvas into the plastic bag really carefully," Allison said. "She kind of just circles her fingers around. Sometimes she gets pretty aggressive with it, and there's been times she lifts the canvas up a little bit and the paint drips side to side."

Since the canvas is inside a big plastic bag, Charli stays clean.

After she saw the early results, Allison had an idea. She started selling the paintings and giving the proceeds to a charity, Horizons for Homeless Children.

"I know I'm biased because I'm her mother, but I said, 'Jeez, she really has a talent for painting, so why not put it to good use?'" Allison said.

The finger paintings are for sale on Etsy. They range from $12-$24.