I saw this barn two days ago on my morning walk and actually gasped out loud. This is in my village, the old Murphy barn, and overnight someone painted this enormous white flower across the entire front. Nobody knew who until I recognized the style.
Nathan grew up four houses down from me, always drawing on everything. His parents wanted him to take over their auto repair shop, kept saying art wasn’t a real future. His dad ripped up his college applications at Christmas dinner when Nathan was seventeen. He left town the day after graduation. That was eight years ago.
Few months back I was browsing Tedooo app and found Nathan’s page. He’s a full-time muralist now, sells prints through Tedooo app on the side. Living entirely off his art, hundreds of glowing reviews.
His parents showed up at his Boston apartment three weeks ago. Someone finally showed them his work. They apologized, wanted him home for Thanksgiving. He didn’t say anything, just closed the door.
Then he drove back here in the middle of the night and painted this. Mrs. Chen saw his car leaving at 4 AM. By sunrise he was gone.
I bought one of his prints last night. The description said: “For everyone who had to leave home to become themselves.”
His parents stood in front of this barn for an hour this morning. His mother was crying. That’s all the answer they’re getting, painted sixty feet high where the whole town sees it every day.
Credit: Marry Saul
Wow…..absolutely wow. Gifted beyond belief.
I pray this young man finds the grace to forgive his parents. As one who was blocked from the career I wanted by my mother, I nonetheless had a phenomenal life in another field. Do I regret it…..some days….but peace and love with my father and forgiving my mother have freed me from any regrets……..
Many of our parents, from our age group, were trapped in their own upbringing……not too many born pre 1920 (my parents) were allowed to think outside the box……financial limitations often involved and ultra strict parental as well of course…….I too have come to the point over all these years to know that my parents did the best they could with what they had…..plus they were kind and loving. So we respected them and cared for them till the end of their long lives.
Nice mural but for me the real story is his ignorance and stubborness to not forgive his parents. I am dealing with a similar situation right now with my daughter, who at 22 decided to leave home and cut off all contact with her mother and I for no good reason for the last 5 months. We supported her and paid for her throughout nursing school and for some unknown reason will not communicate with us.
Sorry to learn of that. I will pray for you and your daughter.
So sorry to hear that…..we have 8 children 6 of whom are girls…….young ladies, even middle aged ladies now, are a handful…..boys are ever so much easier! We lost one of our daughters at age 43 tragically due to some of her poor choices…..prayer does help, we ask Him to help us handle all that being a parent brings our way……as my Mom always said…”Little children little problems….big children big problems”….she wasn’t lying….hang in there it will improve once she matures a bit more…..Jesus can help!
A real beauty.
But what I find astounding is that the day before it wasn’t there. Then ‘overnight’ someone painted this larger than life white flower on Murphy’s Barn. In the dark? Spotlights? ladders? Helpers? scaffolds?