While wrangling thumbtacks as she and Shelby Shadwell hung up 4×4 panels for the Student Art League Silent Auction, Anna Naig talked about when she started art.
Naig, an art major and BFA candidate, said she has been practicing art for over five years. While she was deployed, Naig said she’d bring watercolor paints. The more Naig painted the more she loved it.
“I decided to follow my heart I guess. I enjoyed doing what I did before, I enjoyed helping people, but this makes me happier. I get to spend more time with my family,” Naig said. “I wanted to as a kid but my mom told me I would be a starving artist. I decided to follow another career at that time.”
Naig said she is fortunately not a starving artist, but she has yet to graduate.
She prefers to work with printing, drawing, and painting.
“Print was a shock. I love drawing and painting but print shocked me,” Naig said.
“Honestly, I decided to do all online classes because it’s hard to split classes with Cheyenne and here [in Laramie], and it’s not my thing, but I got it done. I don’t think my education has suffered,” Naig said.
Although her education did not have any consequences, Naig said she was disappointed with her online experience of figure drawing.
Shelby Shadwell, the drawing professor who was nearby, said that there’s a possibility of making up the poor experience of figure drawing with Croquis. He said there’s a possibility if Naig becomes the Croqui officer with the Student Art League.
“Instead of being here and spending time in the studio I crunched my studio to a tiny room in my house– which I am very lucky to have. I’m excited for the fall,” Naig
Naig is also the vice president of the Student Art League and has been involved with the organization for a year and a half.
Naig shared a piece of advice for other artists and the public in general, “Put your head down and keep working because it will get better. Get through the tough times and will get better. Believe in yourself and be confident in yourself.”
