Submitted photos A Robert Kroeger painting of the original Harvey S. Firestone barn in Columbiana that currently stands on the Marketplace at Firestone Farms property along state Route 14.

COLUMBIANA — Robert Kroeger spent 30 years in dentistry, but his real passion has always been art.

Kroeger has spent the last few years researching the history of Ohio’s barns and showcasing that history and their aging beauty through his paintings.

There are several thousand barns in the 88 counties throughout the state. Ten of those barns are located in Columbiana County, including two historical Harvey S. Firestone barns.

Kroeger’s 10 paintings, including the Firestone ones, will be auctioned off during the “Summerfest” event at Firestone Farms on June 15 and 16 as a fundraiser for the Columbiana Restoration and Beautification Committee’s park restoration project.

Kroeger is a friend of Tom Mackall, president of Firestone Homestead LLC.

Summerfest was created by Mackall and others last year as a free family-friendly event at the Town Center development along state routes 7 and 14.

Kroeger first met Mackall while researching barns in the county and was impressed with his efforts to preserve the Harvey Firestone legacy.

“I’m glad that my paintings will help raise funds for the Firestone Park, including the pool where my family and I swam in the late 1950s,” Kroeger said.

Kroeger was raised in Youngstown and graduated from Ohio State University. He also served four years in the Navy. He maintained his own private dental practice in Cincinnati for 30 years.

He was a child when he first dabbled in art, however, after becoming curious about his father’s oil paintings. His father, Francis, earned a Fine Art degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1938.

Over the years Kroeger has dedicated time to perfecting his own oil paintings, and it takes him about 8 to 10 hours to complete one painting using the impasto technique, which is applying the paint in thick layers.

He applies the oil paint to Masonite panels after first applying gesso, and said he has to complete each painting in one sitting because the thickness of the paint doesn’t allow for much change later.

He has spent the last three years painting barns in Columbiana County.

“When I visit a barn, I take photos and figure out a good composition and then make a value sketch,” he said.

If he is able to get wood siding from a barn, he will bring it back home to make the frame.

Of all the barns, those with slate roofs stand out to him the most.

“Northeast Ohio has many old barns with slate roofs, which have withstood the tough winters and still bear the owner’s name or date,” he said.

He first came across one of these barns in 2015. The barn’s slate roof simply bore the date 1914, which Kroeger believes is the date it was constructed. It was also the year World War I began.

Kroeger’s barn paintings and the stories behind them can be found on his website, robertkroeger.com, or http://barnart.weebly.com.

Mackall said the park restoration committee will also display donation opportunities for consideration by interested local residents during the Summerfest event. The event will be open from 5-10 p.m. both nights and will include live music, games, beer and wine, and proceeds from the event will also go back to the park restoration project.