Calgary Artist Dean Stanton

Artist
Dean Stanton, 42, is a local illustrator most known for his colourful and whimsical drawings and large-scale murals — namely, the iconic Sunalta School mural that greeted commuters on Crowchild Trail. It was Stanton’s first big project after he graduated from the Alberta College of Art +
Design and he’s since done community murals in Erin Woods, Montgomery and Cochrane. He also does graphic design, corporate commissions and pieces for charities. Of his kid-friendly mural style, Stanton says, “It’s really like a giant colouring book — giant fields of colour with black outlines.”

The Art
A redesign of the original Sunalta School mural (painted in 1995) on the north- and west-facing walls. The walls had been torn down due to structural problems.
 
The Inspiration
“To be able to be an artist and get to do something twice is pretty cool,” Stanton says. “I never expected to be asked again. The first time, they asked the children what they wanted to see on the mural. When the kids make suggestions, they cover everything. Some fit, some don’t. I’ve taken more or less the same components from the original and redone them they way I’d like to do now. There’s a kid who loves computers, but we had that the first time. This time, it’s a laptop. We didn’t have any cars in the last one and I wanted traffic in it. The Bow building was also something interesting just because I love architecture. The one thing they all wanted, though, was the sun. The corner of this mural is the neatest feature because it’s facing traffic and it’s in your face.”

The new Sunalta School mural will be completed on September 14. Framed prints of the mural were also given to donors.