On April 28 at 3 p.m., artist and writer, Robert Kroeger, will come to the Champaign County Historical Society and Museum (CCHS) to demonstrate his technique for creating portraits of barns made from his sketches and photos of barns he located in Ohio. The painting produced in the demonstration will be raffled off. At that same event, he will sign his book “Historic Barns of Ohio” wherein he painted a barn located in each county in Ohio, and wrote an essay on each.
Kroeger did a similar event in March of last year. Impressed by the turnout and positive reception he received at the event, Kroeger and a CCHS representative organized a “barn tour” in the fall of 2021 to identify barns in Champaign County to paint. Over the winter, Kroeger completed paintings of all 12 barns selected during the tour.
All 12 paintings will be on display at the event. Several will be available for sale via a silent auction. Half the proceeds from the sales will be donated to the museum.
Additionally, the paintings are being used to create a 2023 calendar entitled “Barns of Champaign County.” The calendars will be available for sale at the event provided they have been produced. All proceeds from the calendar sales will go to CCHS.
A great way to get a flavor for Kroeger’s background, paintings and essays is to visit his website: Ohio Barns A-C (weebly.com), with 14 barns of Champaign County that will be on display and part of the calendar.
Complimentary light refreshments and beverages will be served following the barn painting demonstration. There is no admission charge for the event. Participation in the raffle, auction, book, and calendar purchase is entirely voluntary.
