A local business in the heart of Shaunavon is now home to a one-of-a-kind piece of art on its outer wall, after giving the green light to a southwest artist to spray paint it. 

Andrew Robertson said he completed his first ever mural in Medicine Hat recently and wanted to bring something of similar magnitude back to his corner of the southwest. 

He approached Shaunavon’s Plaza Theatre with his idea, to which they donated their northern wall.  

“The mural is of a farmer checking his crops; I really wanted to kind of speak to rural southwest Saskatchewan,” he explained. “Where the roots began, and where the town was built up around the farming community. Basically, bring that forward and display it for tourism and for people to enjoy in the town. Just kind of pay homage to all of the hard work that it took to build the community.” 

While the monochrome portrait is Robertson’s signature theme, he described using spray paints as branching out into a different medium, typically using oil paints. 

He manages to still give the illusion of oil gliding across a canvas, by using different caps on the cans for a variety of sizes in the sprayed-on lines.  

andrew robertson mural close upDetails in the mural

Seven tonnes of paint later, the finished piece is roughly 25 feet tall and 40 feet wide, making it the largest work he’s ever created. 

After getting approval from the theatre, Robertson presented the potential mural to several local businesses who then signed on to sponsor the artwork, including A&B Auto Center, the Song Family Foundation, Harvest Eatery, the Plaza Theatre, Abide Home Goods, Meeting Grounds Coffee House, and the Klassen family.  

“I think it's important to emphasize arts in rural places,” he said. “I think there is a lot of amazing talent that can come out of rural Saskatchewan and small towns. I was raised in Eastend, Saskatchewan and then moved to Shaunavon a couple of years ago, and I just want to show people that beauty can live here, and it can flourish. It's not just a hockey town, it's not just a sports town—it's a place where arts can flourish, and people can enjoy that.” 

sponsors on mural - andrew robertsonThanking the sponsors for their involvement in the project

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