Farm Quilts

I grew up on a small-scale farm in rural Georgia, learning more about the art of work than works of art. Through years of farming, welding, equipment repair, and woodworking, I developed a deep respect for the tools used to build and fix everything around and then began collecting those tools. The need for a way to display tools led to making decorative frames to hang on the wall. This interest in displaying tools then became a desire to display anything interesting. From kitchen utensils to hand forged chains to rusty barbed wire, each piece of history is displayed in its own steel frame or transformed into useful items such as coat/wine racks, lamps, planters, and tables. I enjoy designing/building custom furniture using a combination of steel/wood that creates sturdy, attractive pieces that will last a lifetime.  I enjoy collecting antique tools and playing traditional songs both of which I share a deep respect for the importance of preserving the antiquity of everyday life.

One of a kind barn quilts made of worn-out farm implements represent a small portion of Eastern North Carolina farming heritage. Parts included are: a cutting bar for a grain head on a combine, disc blades, John Deere planter parts, spider gangs from a rolling cultivator, bearings from a disk, coulters from a John Deere planter, a hub from a gauge wheel on a planter, ‘S’ tines from a field cultivator, saw blades from a peanut combine, and a gear from a tractor.

Matt’s original artwork, on display in the 2022 ArtFields Festival, comprised of 4 independent panels. Matt’s work has since been converted into the custom gates you see today by our in-house artist, Tim McElveen.