When Nathan Martin first picked up a paintbrush in elementary school, he knew he was born to create masterpieces. "Ever since I was a kid, I have always been passionate about creating art," the Beaumont junior says. "It really started in the first grade when my teacher noticed my passion and started giving me harder and more intricate projects to work on." The studio art major had his first commissioned work at age 10, when he was asked to do a portrait for his pastor. "My grandmother had shown my pastor some of my art, and he was so impressed by my work that he had me do a painting of his wife to hang in their home," Nathan says. "That was my first commissioned piece of art, and it opened my eyes to realize that people really like what I create, and that I have a gift for this." Art goes deeper than just a hobby, Nathan says. "I have not always been the best with words, but my art gives me a way to express myself with people better than I can through words," he says. "It gives people a chance to experience a part of me when they look at the works I have done."