By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University/Image: Layne Stafford

This artist needs to think big. That’s because his proverbial canvas isn’t just a small square on an easel, it might be the side of a building.

Today we’ll meet a rural Kansas man who is creating murals for communities across Kansas and beyond. 

Layne Stafford is the artist who has created murals around the state. He grew up in Hill City where his father was a music teacher.

“Creativity was encouraged at our house growing up,” Stafford said. “Our dad’s classroom was next to the art room, so we were exposed to some of that.”

Stafford and his brother enjoyed drawing. They would fill a sketchbook with pictures they had drawn of athletes or Ghostbusters or Ninja Turtles. When school was out in the summertime, they even took art classes.

Stafford attended K-State where he graduated in art education. He stayed in Manhattan and worked part-time at Amanda Arnold elementary school where the mascot is the Pandas.

“The principal contacted me about doing a painting on the wall of the cafeteria,” Stafford said. Stafford created a painting of a panda, and it was so well received that he has been asked repeatedly to come back and add on to that painting.

Then parents of a student at the school asked Stafford to create a painting in their daughter’s room. “They said, ‘We would love for her to have a Star Wars mural,’” Stafford said.

He took on the challenge and it turned out beautifully.

“I was doing small projects, playing in a band, and substitute teaching, but I felt that God was saying I should pursue this painting thing,” Stafford said. He chose to go into it full-time.

“The first year was horrible,” Stafford said. “Then in year two, two or three incredible opportunities came up and the floodgates opened.”

For more than 20 years, Stafford has worked as a freelance muralist and created works for a variety of clients as far away as South Dakota. He typically completes four to five mural projects a year. Some of these are massive, as big as 100 feet wide and 20 feet tall.

Some clients come to him with a specific request. In other cases, he designs the concept himself.

“If the customer gets me the exact size parameters, I can design something to fit,” Stafford said.

He also verifies the type of surface, such as brick, concrete, or cinder block. Once the design is approved, he lays it out on his computer and then projects it onto the wall where he paints it in place.

Stafford has done several projects in his hometown of Hill City. After one mural was completed, a man told his parents that this was the best thing that had happened in town.

Stafford works with businesses, churches, schools and homes. He has painted murals in cities larger than 50,000 people and in rural towns such as Damar, population 112 people. Now, that’s rural.

“Small towns want to have something to be proud of,” Stafford said. “I’m thankful if I can be of help, to build town pride and bring something new and fresh.”

He’s produced welcome signs for several towns, mascot murals in schools, a baseball themed mural at a Great Bend park, and an inspirational mural at Be Able in Manhattan.

In addition to beautifying communities, Stafford wants his work to serve as an inspiration to others. “That mural will be there long after I’m gone,” Stafford said. “I want my work to be uplifting, to point to something greater. There is creativity in everybody.  If I can inspire one person, that is my ‘why.’”

For more information, see www.laynestafford.com.

This artist needs to think big, because his canvas might be 2,000 square feet in size.  We commend Layne Stafford and the communities that use his talents. They are making a difference by brightening and celebrating their communities.

This artist does well, because he sees the big picture.

And there’s more. Remember that Stafford played in a band? That band has toured across the nation. We’ll learn about that next week.Audio and text files of Kansas Profiles are available at https://www.huckboydinstitute.org/kansas-profiles. For more information about the Huck Boyd Institute, interested persons can visit http://www.huckboydinstitute.org.