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Newcomerstown High gets splashy new murals in gymnasium

Ray Booth
·4 min read

NEWCOMERSTOWN – Scott Hagan, also known as "The Barn Artist," notes there are a lot of letters in “Newcomerstown Trojans.”

That’s important to Hagan, who's well-known in Ohio as the painter of barns for the 2003 Ohio Bicentennial Barns project that featured large murals on barns throughout the state. Hagan got his start as the Ohio Bicentennial Barn painter after being profiled in an article by Pamela McCort in The Barnesville Enterprise in 1997 and has been featured in many national publications since.

His latest project is painting on three walls of the gymnasium at Newcomerstown High School, including a 100-foot wide mural with the word “Trojans” in letters that are 14-feet tall.

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Scott Hagan, who's also known as "The Barn Artist," painted a mural at Newcomerstown High School that features 14-foot high letters and spans 100 feet.
Scott Hagan, who's also known as "The Barn Artist," painted a mural at Newcomerstown High School that features 14-foot high letters and spans 100 feet.

Superintendent Jason Peoples said the project is part of a much needed upgrade of school facilities.

"The high school gym is our main indoor venue," he said. "It is used by high school and middle school teams and was in need of an upgrade, so Chad Elliott, our athletics director, contacted Scott ... to start planning. Scott, who also designed and completed the mural in our Lee Field House, worked with us planning every detail of the project. Scott is a professional who takes great pride in his work. It is our hope that our student-athletes, parents and fans will enjoy the new look for years to come.”

Scott Hagan, who's known as "The Barn Artist," signs his name to a mural he painted at Newcomerstown High School.
Scott Hagan, who's known as "The Barn Artist," signs his name to a mural he painted at Newcomerstown High School.

How did Scott Hagan get involved with the project?

Hagan, who is from Jerusalem, Ohio, said, “The scale of the work is huge, as usual. Here at Newcomerstown High School ,I have worked on four different projects, including the cafeteria, wrestling room, the amazing new Lee Field House, and now the gym. I think the school saw my work at other schools, and that's how this works for me.”

He said for these projects, he asks schools to send pictures of the walls they want painted, and then he creates design ideas on top of the photograph using computer software.

“After that, we collaborate until we agree on the design,” Hagan said. “At that point I give the quote for the job. Sometimes it's just a simple addition of the school mascot to an open space on the wall and other times I completely transform the entire gym.

“Each project is unique. Some gyms have different wall space available or different dimensions. So I develop the artwork by the space that's available. I can do things in a more simple manner, or I can do things in a high detail manner such as a cougar mascot I recently finished at Frontier High School or a husky mascot I did at Harrison Central.”

Scott Hagan, who's also known as "The Barn Artist," painted a mural at Newcomerstown High School that features 14-foot high letters and spans 100 feet.
Scott Hagan, who's also known as "The Barn Artist," painted a mural at Newcomerstown High School that features 14-foot high letters and spans 100 feet.

Hagan has enjoyed the support of the Newcomerstown schools and community.

“I now have different areas of art throughout the school and it feels like another home," he said. "I really appreciate that I was able to freely create ideas and present them all months in advance during the planning stages.”

Scott Hagan, who's also known as "The Barn Artist," paints a mural at Newcomerstown High School that features 14-foot high letters and spans 100 feet.
Scott Hagan, who's also known as "The Barn Artist," paints a mural at Newcomerstown High School that features 14-foot high letters and spans 100 feet.

How much time is involved in painting?

Hagan said he usually puts in 12 to 16 hours a day on his projects, which doesn’t include time spent in the design room. This is his 26th year of contract painting and he said it took about 20 of those years to learn how to do things faster and easier and to collect the right equipment and tools.

“Most people know me for painting barns, and the most difficult part of that is the weather,” Hagan said. “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 take advantage and do some sight-seeing. I am so thankful God has blessed me with this skill and I keep busy and healthy.”

Upcoming, 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 paintings. In June, he is doing a three-barn series of historical pictures and later he 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 to date,” Hagan said.

Hagan has a Facebook page "The Barn Artist" allowing 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.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: 'The Barn Artist' creates new murals at Newcomerstown High gym