(Photo provided) Shown here is artist Scott Hagan’s newest mural at the New Martinsville School.

The New Martinsville School’s gymnasium has a whole new look thanks to a new mural painted recently by Scott Hagan, aka the Barn Artist.

The mural includes two large eagle heads flanking the words “New Martinsville Eagles.” The school’s bold gold and blue colors are used.

Hagan, a resident of Jerusalem, Ohio, said he enjoyed painting the mural.

“It was a great experience working with Principal Stacey Walton and the staff who made all the efforts to make working in the gym possible during the school year,” he said.

“This gym is extremely busy … so we had chained off the sides, and there is a giant curtain that creates a space in front of the wall which is normally a high traffic area.

“But if I was close to the corners the kids would say ‘it looks great’ or ‘good job’ as they walked by, and the staff would do the same. Some of the staff mentioned they liked to watch me cut the lines so straight and effortlessly and wished I would come and paint their house or bathroom. I get that a lot.

“Gym classes could continue since the weather wasn’t so great outside. I would wait until after 4 p.m. in which I could paint in the areas around the bathrooms and doors.”

Hagan noted he had visited the school about three years ago. The gym at the time was painted yellow. The staff decided to repaint it white ahead of Hagan doing the mural, which he said was a good decision.

“A few other factors delayed my part of the project, but I think the timing was perfect. And I love the color scheme of the artwork,” he said.

Hagan said the mural is about 100 feet in length, including the stripe and skirting on the bottom. He estimated that he used about eight gallons of paint overall.

“We are considering additional color around the gym in the future since there is so much open canvas, but this is a huge impact in the gym where the one set of bleachers faces the new artwork,” he said. “I feel like I have art galleries all over the valley and I love seeing them in a photo background.”

Hagan has painted murals at some other local schools in recent months as well. In March he completed a mural at the Short Line School in Reader. One wall features a steam engine in the foreground with the word “Short Line” in the background. Another wall in the gym features a silhouette painting of a train bridge.

Also in March, Hagan painted murals inside River High School. One wall says “Welcome to River High School,” and another says “Pilot the Ship,” as the school is home to the River Pilots.

Hagan has painted hundreds of murals across the Ohio Valley and in several other states across the country during the past 28 years.

Hagan noted the New Martinsville mural took about a week to complete.