Murals & Public Installations

I am a long time local professional fine artist specializing in large scale mural installations and community collaboration projects. My work encompasses both small and large scale works and I have a particular affinity for developing projects that connect others to their environment in either the concept development, the making, or both. I’ve worked closely over the years with businesses, public entities, schools, and individual clients to create imagery that reflects the sentiments, culture and needs of those involved.

Results of this intensively researched and intimate approach can be seen in the Incline Village Library murals developed for Washoe County, the Truckee Elementary School murals that include student work in the body of the murals themselves, the Rainbow Street Community Mural project that included community members directly making much of the final work, and many businesses such as Intrawest California Holdings, the Village at Squaw, and many many more.

Contact me to learn more about murals and public projects.

  • Sara collaborated on a very special project of ours, where she was tasked to create a life size mural of a 'family' of bears on the walls of a children's playroom; she executed brilliantly. Sara did a great job working up several initial renderings for the vision, and then successfully figured out how best to lay it out over multiple walls. The mural is perfectly balanced and she dialed in the exact look myself, the designer, and the Owner were all hoping for with the bears... we didn't want them too scary, nor too cartoonish(!). Sara took what we all had bouncing around in our heads and put it on paper in a way we could really get it. She then worked through multiple iterations before starting actual work on the walls. The installation took place towards the tail end of a new construction project, so she was working at the site, right along with the rest of the crew. She was a great fit, and was a welcomed, positive, creative spirit on the job site. She was open to constructive feedback and revisions, primarily driven by her own passion for creating the best finished product. Sara's initiative, creativity, communicative and collaborative approach, all coupled with her innate artistic abilities made for a very successful installation and left us wanting to use her again on our next project!

    Brian Rickauer- Structerra

  • There was only one artist on my mind when choosing the perfect fit to design and create a mural for Truckee Elementary School, and that was Sara Smith. I had seen Sara's talent at the Kidzone museum for many years and could not wait to watch her work her magic at Truckee Elementary. Her artwork exceeded our expectations. She designed and created an amazing environmental mural complete with quotes and even more impressive, she made it a priority to include every student's artwork into the mural as well. Sara is an incredibly talented artist, and she is also a champion for the students. She made sure to work when the children were present, so that they could watch her work and ask questions. They were in awe! She is so creative, talented, and inspirational. Sara is a one-of-a-kind gem. Her passion for art is contagious and one can not help but to bloom in her presence!

    Katie Flynn