Fall harvest means barns across the Midwest are a busy place — but for a central Minnesota woman, they aren’t just farm buildings, they’re works of art.

“Most of my barns are 100 to 120 years old,” said Heather Coleman.

While home buyers go house hunting, Coleman goes barn hunting across central Minnesota. The more beat up the building is, the better.

“This was a windstorm this summer that took this beautiful thing down,” Coleman said while visiting a barn in Kandiyohi County.

The barnwood she gathers ends up in her shop near the town of Pennock — that’s where it finds a new purpose.

“All these dilapidated barns out in the country either get bulldozed or just sit there and I’m all about refurbishing anything,” Coleman said.

She’s refurbishing while combining her love for farm life with her love for lake life. Coleman has always been good with a saw, so, years ago, when someone asked her if she could carve the shape of their lake out of her barnwood, she didn’t hesitate.

“I said, ‘I’ll give it a try. I’ll try anything once.’ And that’s where it started,” Coleman said.

The first lake turned out so well that word spread. Coleman now does about 50 Minnesota lakes a year. She uses maps from both the Department of Natural Resources and Google to get the shape and then traces them. Then it’s all about getting the cuts just right.

Because no two lakes are the same, every cove and every corner is important.

After the artwork takes shape, 1-inch strips of barnwood are applied. Some light sanding is the final touch.

“Some are intense. Eagle Lake, maybe a half hour. Lake Superior could take a couple hours because starting from the beginning, then cutting and then sanding, and I’m very particular, so it could take quite a while,” Coleman said.

A quick look around her shop shows Coleman is also known for repurposing water skis, hockey sticks and even beer cans — but her heart is in the heartland.

There’s no shortage of barnwood, so there’s no shortage of ideas. She plans to continue to combine her love for barns with her love for lakes. After all, there are 10,000 in the state, which means she isn’t planning on leaving her shop anytime soon.

“My grandma always said if you enjoy doing what you do, it’s never a job. And I love being in my garage and doing this,” Coleman said.

Coleman gives a state of Minnesota barnwood piece to every farmer who donates barnwood to her project. 

Coleman shares her work on Facebook.