“The Barn Artist” creates new murals at Newcomerstown High Gym
NEWCOMERSTOWN – Scott Hagan, aka “The Barn Artist,” notes that there are a lot of messages in the “Newcomerstown Trojans.”
This is important to Hagan, best known in Ohio as the barn painter for the 2003 Ohio Bicentennial Barns project that featured large murals on barns across the state. Hagan got his start as an Ohio Bicentennial illustrator after being profiled in an article by Pamela McCourt in The Barnesville Enterprise in 1997 and has appeared in numerous national publications since.
His most recent project is graffiti on three walls in the gymnasium at Newcomerstown High School, including a 100-foot-wide mural with the word “Trojans” in 14-foot-tall letters.
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Superintendent Jason Peoples said the project is part of a much-needed upgrade to school facilities.
“The high school gym is our main indoor venue,” he said. “It’s being used by high school and middle school teams and was in need of an upgrade, so Chad Elliott, our director of athletics, called Scott…to start planning. Scott, who also designed and completed the mural at Lee Field House, worked with us in planning all of it.” Project Details. Scott is a professional who takes pride in his work. We hope our student-athletes, parents, and fans will enjoy the new look for years to come.”
How did Scott Hagan get involved in the project?
“The workload is huge, as always,” said Hagan, who is from Jerusalem, Ohio. “Here at Newcomerstown High School, I’ve worked on four different projects, including the cafeteria, the wrestling room, the amazing new Lee Field House, and now the gym.” The school has seen my work in other schools, and that’s how this works for me.”
For these projects, he said, he asks schools to send in pictures of the walls they want painted, and then he creates design ideas on top of the image using computer software.
“After that, we collaborate until we agree on the design,” Hagan said. “At that point I give a quote for the job. Sometimes it’s just a simple addition of a school mascot to an open wall space and other times I completely transform the gym.”
Every project is unique. Some gyms have different wall space or dimensions. So I develop the artwork with the available space. I can do things in a more simple way, or I can do things in a highly detailed way like the cougar mascot I recently finished at Frontier High School or the husky mascot I did at Harrison Central.”
Hagan enjoys the support of the Newcomerstown schools and community.
He said, “I now have different art fields throughout the school and it feels like another home. I really appreciate that I was able to freely generate ideas and present them all months in advance during the planning stages.”
How long does the drawing take?
Hagan said he usually spends 12 to 16 hours a day on his projects, which does not include time spent in the design room. This is his 26th year of contract drawing and he said it took him about 20 years to learn how to do things faster and easier and to gather the right equipment and tools.
“Most people know me with barn painting, and the hardest part about that is the weather,” said Hagan. “It can be a real challenge. The perks of the job are meeting all kinds of people and traveling around the country. Sometimes I can tap in and do some sight seeing. I am so thankful that God has blessed me with this skill and I am busy and healthy.”
In the future, Hagan has projects at Fort Frye High School, Brooke High School in West Virginia, and West Muskingum High School. May is filled with many random outdoor boards. In June, he makes a series of three barns of historical photos and then has what he calls a “huge” project at Tyler Consolidated High School in West Virginia.
“It’s an amazing design and one of the biggest challenges yet,” Hagan said.
Hagan has a Facebook page called “The Barn Artist” that allows people to follow his work. His work has taken him to California, North Dakota, Florida and Kansas. He can also be contacted at www.barnartist.com or by calling 740-310-7494.
