One Down

Mr. N's first year of schooling came to a close last Friday. I am so amazed by the progress he has made in one year. Just for some perspective, I included the picture below (leg) which was something he did more than a year ago and that we thought was fantastic. Now, seeing what he can do, I have a new view of perfection. The above picture is Mr. N's final project for the year. It is actually a very difficult cast to draw because of the angle of the guy's head. Mr. N told me that a few people asked to do their final drawing from this particular cast, but were turned down. Mr. N asked, but expected to be turned down. He was given the go ahead.

Above: The bargue drawing Mr. N did back in 2007. His drawing is on the right and the picture is on the left.

You can check out Mr. N's Blog to get more specifics on this cast. I know the cast comes from a sculpture called The Boxer. He's really good about keeping his blog updated about what he's doing in school.

This really has been an interesting year for our family. We have no idea where our life is going, but we know we are where we need to be. It's so odd. Sometimes we are shocked that we really sold everything we owned to move east and go to art school, and with two kids in tow! But we really feel we are where the Lord wants us. It's so scary some times. We have no money, but we are working together towards a common goal. Mr. N commented to me a few months ago that when couples/families go through difficult times, they can choose to pull together, or they pull apart. He said that he felt we had really pulled together, and that as a result our marriage and our family was stronger. I feel that too. I truly feel that Mr. N is not only a husband to me, he is also a partner, a companion, an advisor, and much much more... We are in it together.

This was Mr. N's second to last project. He told me that one of his professors was showing this drawing off to another professor. That is a good sign! Mr. N started this year at school at somewhat of a disadvantage. He'd only had one art class before (two if you count the water color class he took at BYU where the teacher asked him if he was color blind...). Almost every other student in his year had been to other art schools. Mr. N is very modest about his abilities. I ask him frequently about where he thinks he ranks in his class and he says somewhere in the top. I think the top 3 or 4. His work is so amazing. At the close of each year we've decided to reevaluate to see if the next school year would be possible. Right now we are preparing ourselves for his next school year. He is job hunting and I am continuing to sell felt for Story Time Felts and I do a few other things that help us nickle and dime our way through. In September Mr. N will start really learning oil painting. He's done a few night classes to dabble in oils, but it is still extremely new to him. I think he's nervous, but very excited. I'm so excited to see what work he produces in the next year! It is wonderful to see him living a dream. It's worth everything. I'd much rather be where we are now: no money, struggling, but having Mr. N do something is loves; than where we were a year ago: making okay money but having Mr. N work in a career field he despised.

I know Heavenly Father has a plan for us. I'm anxious to be able to see more about that plan that we currently see...but for now we'll just keep doing what we're asked to do.