Kings Mansion Quiltbarn
A Crown Returns to Kings Mills…
Now Installed – The Kings Crown, a new Quiltbarn Painting at Kings Mansion Park, Deerfield Township, Ohio. Artist Denny Means, was commissioned by Deerfield Township and Mason-Deerfield Arts Alliance to paint and install a second large quilt square painting for the Barn at Deerfieldbs Kings Commons Park. 1720 East King Avenue, Kings Mills, Ohio. Official unveiling was Saturday, August 27, 2011 at 8:30 am – just before the start of the Powder Keg 5K Run. Photo by Denny Means. |
Ahimaaz King owned the King Powder Co. and built the Mansion in 1880. This exhibit about the company is in the Warren County Historic Society Museum in Lebanon, Ohio. Mr. Means researched the King family through the Historic Society Museum, and their publications. Museum Executive Director Vicki Tappy provided additional insight into the King family and how they lived. Photo by Denny Means. |
A dynamite box in the Museum provided inspiration for the quiltbarn design – the King Crown logo was used extensively for nearly 100 years. At the Museum, Mr. Means photographed the logo, then drew over the design to understand elements of the crown design. The final design also incorporates an architectural motif taken from the Queen Anne architectural styling of the Kings Mansion and Carriage House. Photo by Denny Means. |
Starting in June, Mary Means applies the first coats of primer paint to the 4 X 8 ft. MDO Signboards. Photo by Denny Means. |
Design layout on the large signboards took 5 days of drawing by the artist. After the design is laid out, we use masking tape to define color areas. Each area gets 8 more coats of paint – the gold color had to get 14 coats of paint using a translucent paint! Photo by Denny Means. |
Another coat of gold! Altogether, over 80 individual coats of paint were applied over three months by Denny, with great help from Mary Means. Photo by Denny Means. |
An early color study of the design. The final color scheme uses a classic Tetrad Color Scheme, where two sets of complimentary colors are used as the basis. Complimentary colors red & green, plus orange and blue are the basis for color selection. A dynamic black and yellow border was selected to help grab attention of viewers passing by on the road. |
Denny Means, left, with brothers Rick and Mick Parr moved the pieces to the barn and built the frame on the back of the painting. Photo by Mary Means. |
The design plan for cedar framing on the back of the painting, 8 feet square. The framing carries all gravity loads directly down to load bearing support angles. Fabricated aluminum support angles are through-bolted to new structural reinforcing inside the barn. |
We always like to see when the final framing resembles the design drawing. Photo by Denny Means. |
Denny climbs up to determine the location of top of painting on the barn. Photo by Mary Means. |
This design drawing show the final installation on the right. Left side shows the painting at the most difficult point in installing it. With the painting hoisted in place, we have to push it back into the angle supports bolted to the barn structure. We rigged a strong rope from the inside barn floor, up over the rafters, out through the wall of the barn, and tied it to the back of the painting. That made it simple to pull on the rope and move the painting back into the angle supports. Then the hoisting slings could be removed. Drawing by Denny Means. |
A watercolor painting of the quiltbarn, by Denny Means. |
One of the design drawings used to calculate the design elements and size them for layout on the final painting – over 11 feet wide! |
Tuesday, August 23rd – the installation crew carried the 300-pound painting outside the barn and set it into a wooden cradle made especially for the diamond-shaped painting. From right: Rick Parr, Denny Means, Keith, Chip, and Mark from Deerfield Township Parks Department. Photo by Mary Means. |
Now the painting is up, a happy artist waves from high in the man lift. Photo by Mary Means. |
A heavy-duty scissor lift is used to hoist the work and gives workers access to fasten the painting to the barn. For long durability, no fasteners penetrate the face of the painting. The painting framework sits on metal support angles and fasteners go into the sides of the cedar framework. High-strength bolts are through-bolted to new structural reinforcing installed into the barn frame. Photo by Mary Means. |
A side view of the finished painting. Photo by Denny Means. |
Kings Crown- The second Deerfield Township Quiltbarn. installed by Denny Means with the help of Mary Means and many assistants. Sponsored by Mason-Deerfield Arts Alliance, P.O. Box 381, Mason, OH 45040 Photo by Denny Means. |
Follow this link for a photo story on making the Quilt Square Painting: Link to movie on the making of the first quiltbarn painting: |
