Kay Patterson, born in southern Ohio, has spent most of her adult life living with her husband and raising her three children in the rural area of Greenup county, Ky. During that time, Kay has come to love the country side, the history and the beauty of Greenup County. She has especially appreciated the family farms that dot the Greenup County landscape, their rolling hills with many aging, yet still beautiful barns. Unfortunately, those aging barns are disappearing, many of them being torn down and replaced with the more modern metal barn constructions.

When Kay's husband, a local land developer, purchased a piece of property with one of those long-unused barns, a decision was made to gently take the barn apart, piece by piece, saving the wood for future use. Part of the wood was pressured washed, allowed to dry, then used as a wall covering in the Patterson's family room. Much of the rest of the wood has been used by Kay to create her art work which she affectionately calls "Kentucky Barnwood Art".

Kay's unique barnwood art work has become a favorite of locals as well as a popular souvenir for visitors to the Greenup County, Kentucky area.