Celeste Estes of Teays Valley and Linda Collins of Salt Rock hold up paintings they created in the barn painting class. Celeste’s design features pink and turquoise, and is inspired by flowers from her flower beds. Linda’s daughter picked the colors she chose for her painting, which are blues and purples.
Maribeth Shreve of St. Albans has a unique hobby she wants to share with the local community. Combining her love of quilting with painting, she creates outdoor paintings depicting quilt squares which can be hung on houses, barns, and other outbuildings. She started creating barn quilt paintings in 2016, and in September of last year, she began offering classes to the public.
Participants in Shreve’s classes send her photos of existing barn quilts or favorite quilt patterns, and she sketches the designs out in pencil upon aluminum signs which have been sanded and primed. With all of the hard work out of the way, participants can focus on bringing their designs to life using a wide selection of brightly colored paint. This is an all day affair, with the maximum workshop time being set at 10 hours. (Of course, some will complete their projects faster than others, depending upon the complexity of the designs.)
Classes are held once a month at Area 34, located at 971 State Route 34 in Teays Valley, across the road from the Putnam County Library. Classes may have as many as 16 students, and Shreve says she has had to turn people away for lack of space. While the barn quilt classes draw students mainly from Putnam and surrounding areas, one student came all the way from Ohio to participate in the most recent class, which was held this past Friday.
Students have two options for the size of their paintings: 24×24 or 36×36. The class includes paint – an impressive selection featuring 155 colors – and all necessary supplies. To allow students to see what the color choices look like when dry, Shreve has painted swatches of every color upon wooden garden stakes. She says this shows a truer representation of the shades than merely looking at the paint in a bottle.
Barn quilt paintings are a fusion of two very different arts, quilting and painting. Shreve says that many of the students in her classes are quilters, but others are painters who just like the concept of barn quilts.
The tradition of barn quilt squares is believed to originate from German, Austrian, and Dutch immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania. The tradition then spread to New England and the Midwest. Painting their barns with colorful quilt-inspired designs allowed people to customize their farm buildings, and made it easy for others to find their homes. Many states have quilt trails which provide a listing of barns featuring quilt block paintings. Putnam County has its own quilt trail, with participants in Winfield, Buffalo, Red House, Pliny, and Eleanor.
The next barn quilt painting class will be held on March 21 and 22 at Area 34. Class times are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The theme of the project is a sewing machine made from quilt blocks. A 24×24 sign will cost $125, and a 36×36 sign will cost $225. There is also the option to paint a customized barn quilt design for $75. Participants are advised to wear old clothes or bring an apron, as well as pack a lunch and refreshments. Because Shreve needs time to prepare the boards and sketch each person’s designs, participants will need to register for the class as soon as possible. For more information, call 304-741-5321.
