Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
When you have a natural talent and a drive to turn an artistic flair into a job, you just have to take the plunge and give it a try.
That’s what Morgin Crace, of Buckeye, decided to do a few months ago with her painting skills.
It all began with making a banner for herself. After posting a picture of it on Facebook, she got a lot of compliments and inquiries about projects she could do for others.
“When I first started, I thought I’d be happy if I got one or two jobs,” Crace said. “Now, I’m booked up to my eyeballs. It was only going to be a couple times a month type thing, but it has really grown in a way I did not expect just in the past three months alone.”
This summer, Crace’s artwork was popping up everywhere. She painted windows on businesses in Marlinton – Kenny Woods Insurance and In Bloom – and in Durbin – Simply Sweet Cafe and the Laundromat. She’s also made banners for the Pocahontas County High School FFA float for the Pioneer Days Parade and several 4-H students who showed animals at the State Fair in Lewisburg.
“I think it’s great,” she said. “It wasn’t supposed to be a full-time job, but it has evolved into that.”
For the windows, Crace said she uses latex house paint and if the window is out of the sun and elements, the painting can last for a long time. For those that do get exposure though, she said she recommends a touch up every three or four months.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a hundred percent permanent because it will eventually fade and chip off, but the entirety of the design is not going to come off until someone scrapes it off with a razor blade,” she said. “I recommend a refresh every three or four months, like a seasonal thing.”
As for the banners, Crace uses contractors’ paper which is sturdier than regular butcher paper or art paper. She adds grommets to the corners so people can hang the banners with rope or zip ties.
Crace has a very large project coming up that she thinks will be a great addition to the Buckeye community.
“Roger [Pritt], who owns the Buckeye Hardware store, asked me to paint a giant American flag on the old drive-in theater screen behind the store,” she said. “I’m super excited about it.”
Windows and banner paper aren’t the only things Crace paints. She can paint on anything, really. She’s done rock slabs, wood panels and even jean jackets and jeans.
One of the projects she’s excited to debut this fall is her senior jeans.
“Basically, I paint senior down one leg and then 2027 down the other leg and whatever they want on the back,” she said. “If they want the WVU logo or the college their going to, or softball, baseball, whatever it is they’re doing and then they can wear the jeans to Friday night football games, to school, to any of their senior functions.
“I thought that would be a cool thing for their senior year,” she added.
In addition to custom paint jobs, Crace said she also has paintings she hopes to have for sale soon at Handmade WV Market in Marlinton.
For now, those interested in getting something done by Crace can contact her on her Facebook page, but she hopes to have a website up and running in the next couple months.
With her hobby becoming a full-time job, Crace said she is excited to see the community embrace her artwork and use it for their businesses and personal milestones.
“I just said one day, ‘I’m doing this; I might fail miserably, but I’m going to do it,’” she said. “It’s been really nice seeing all the people support me and all the wonderful comments on my Facebook posts. It’s been awesome. It makes me feel great. When the hard work I put into them is recognized and people compliment them, it makes me so happy.”
