A child’s artwork, guided to completion.

First Works: Paintings is a private, one-day painting offering for children ages 3–8, resulting in a finished, large-scale artwork created in collaboration with a professional artist.

Each piece is made slowly, with care and intention—honoring a child’s authorship while providing the structure needed for the work to resolve as a real painting, not an abandoned experiment.

The artwork is framed and goes home with the family the same day.

The Offering

First Works is not an art class or a lesson.

It is a guided collaboration designed to give children the rare experience of seeing their creative decisions taken seriously—held inside a calm, limited framework that allows their work to become something lasting, and using the highest artist-grade materials.

The child chooses the subject and makes all expressive marks. My role is to design the conditions for success: palette, scale, pacing, and structure.

The result is a finished painting that belongs on the wall—not because it is perfect, but because it is complete.

The Process

1. Theme
The child begins by choosing a subject—often something familiar: a place they love, an animal, a memory.

2. Structure
Together, we select a limited palette and discuss specific inspirational images. These constraints create coherence from the start.

3. Mark Making
The child creates all imagery and expressive marks. Guidance is offered gently, supporting balance and pacing without correcting or overriding decisions.

4. Resolution
If needed, background areas are completed in conversation with the child so their work remains legible and intact.

5. Finishing
The painting is allowed to dry, framed in a solid wood frame, and mailed or delivered the next week.

Authorship

Each First Works painting is authored by the child.

The child determines the subject and makes all expressive marks. I do not redraw, correct, or replace what a child creates. My role is to provide structure—materials, sequence, and spatial guidance—so the work can resolve as a finished artwork.

Every piece is accompanied by a certificate of authorship naming the child and describing the collaborative process.

Details

• Ages: 3–8
• Artwork size: 36 × 36 inches
• Medium: Artist-grade acrylic on canvas
• Duration: One-day session (2–4 hours, paced to the child)
• Includes:
  – All materials
  – Guided collaboration
  – Solid wood frame
  – Certificate of authorship
• Price: $1,000
• Location: Cole Zlata's studio in Point Reyes or private in-home sessions with all materials brought to your location.

Sessions are offered in limited numbers.

About

I am a professional artist with a practice rooted in attention, material, and process.

First Works grew out of a desire to honor children’s creativity without turning it into spectacle or chaos—to give their decisions enough structure to last.

I’m interested in what happens when a child’s work is taken seriously, completed with care, and allowed to become a valuable part of a home rather than casually displayed on the refrigerator and eventually relegated to a drawer or the trash.

Inquiries

If you’re interested in a First Works session, please reach out with your child’s age and any questions you have.

→ cole@colezlata.com