![\"Cheyenne](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Cheyenne-Water-Tank-mural-Resized_dji_fly_20250725_095540_501_1753466075865_photo-8.2.25.jpeg\")
Cheyenne artist Jordan Dean is painting two giant 60-to-70-foot horses as the centerpiece of a stunning mural on a prominent water tank. It takes two giant booms, a projector and $400 a gallon paint. (Courtesy Photo)It\u2019s A Team Effort<\/strong><\/p>\nDuring the day, Dean runs errands and catches up on other graphic design projects while his day crew comes along and fills in the areas he\u2019s outlined with color.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The paint for water tanks is typically a commercial type designed to slough off anything that might stick to it. That means the tanks must be scrubbed vigorously before any new paint will stick.<\/p>\n
It also means using the same type of paint that\u2019s usually employed for water towers, which is not cheap. The paint costs $400 a gallon.\u00a0And this pair of giant horses are going to take a lot of paint.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou only have about an hour after you mix the paint up before it starts to harden and become solid,\u201d Dean said. \u201cAnd so, because of that I wanted to partner with (CHP Tank Co.) out of Cheyenne because they work with products like this and it\u2019s such a huge project, there\u2019s no way I can do it by myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dean\u2019s part in the process is creating outlines with spray paint that are close to the colors he wants CHP Tank Co. to use to fill in the spaces he has defined.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe spray paint, they are mostly scuffing off,\u201d Dean said. \u201cThey can still see where the outline was. But they have to scuff off the surface enough so that it\u2019s not glossy anymore, so the new product will adhere to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
At one point, Dean tried using a Sharpie to make the outlines. But the lines proved too thin and hard to see after the scuffing process was complete.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey also kind of have a map of what all the colors will be, and they will reference that with the outlines that I put up at night,\u201d Dean said. \u201cSo, they\u2019ll be able to tell where the colors go.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are five shades of brown paint, two shades of blue paint, as well as a kind of cream color for the field, and other colors for the grass.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThose five shades of brown are what makes the horse have kind of depth and feel full,\u201d Dean said. \u201cThat makes it come to life more, which is fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the clouds, he\u2019s using the tank\u2019s already white color.<\/p>\n
Once the basic color shapes have been filled in, Dean will go over the whole mural piece by piece, adding highlights and shading, as well as other fine details, particularly around the eyes and nose, but also including hair.<\/p>\n
Coming Round The Mountain<\/strong><\/p>\n The paint Jordan is using is rated to last at least 30 years, but he fully expects the murals to last longer than that.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn life, all things fade,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I remember a mural when I was a kid being painted on an aquarium in California. And I happened to see it last year, 30 years later, and it\u2019s still there, and it\u2019s still very cool. You can tell it\u2019s 30 years old, so that\u2019s kind of the nature of these things.\u201d<\/p>\n It will be up to future generations whether to refresh the existing mural or just paint over it with a new image. But Jordan has chosen subjects that he hopes will also stand the test of time for Cheyenne.<\/p>\n \u201cFor this project, I was thinking about something that all of Cheyenne could look at \u2014 people from all walks of life, different demographics, different ages \u2014 and it would be appreciated by all, and they would feel that it belonged up there,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted something everyone could relate to and feel it\u2019s part of their town.\u201d<\/p>\n Dean also wanted the hill the tanks were standing on to become part of the mural.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, then you kind of narrow things down to a handful of ingredients and things that are special to Cheyenne,\u201d he said. \u201cSo it was like, \u2018Oh, should we do trains, or should we do rodeo for Frontier Days? And should we do the Capitol,\u2019 you know?\u201d<\/p>\n But ultimately, Dean decided he wanted something that felt timeless, so he went back to what was here before modern things started coming along and changing the world.<\/p>\n \u201cI grew up with horses here in Cheyenne, and Cheyenne has got the wild horse race,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I think horses are beautiful creatures.\u201d<\/p>\n He pictured giant horses rounding the top of the hill and knew that was the right image. He added a meadowlark, which is the state bird, as part of the scene.<\/p>\n \u201cThose are ingredients that were here before Cheyenne was really developed,\u201d he said. \u201cSo that was the goal, and that\u2019s how all those pieces came together, and that\u2019s where we ended up.\u201d<\/p>\n The tank Dean is painting now is the city\u2019s new one, which will remain empty until he\u2019s finished to prevent any condensation.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce this one is finished, then they\u2019ll fill the tank and empty the other one,\u201d Dean said. \u201cAnd so, we can paint that one probably next summer.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s assuming enough money is raised for the project. Dean said that Cheyenne officials were insistent that no taxpayer money be used on the murals, so it\u2019s down to private fundraising to make the tank murals a reality.<\/p>\n Dean\u2019s plan for the other tank is an American Indian girl with a proud, confident, peaceful look about her, as well as some bison and some Indian paintbrush.<\/p>\n The word \u201cCheyenne\u201d will be painted on one of the tanks in a manner similar to the Visit Cheyenne logo, a subtle reference to tourism. \u00a0<\/p>\n Artists often like to stand back from their work to view it critically, making sure all the proportions line up as needed. Dean still does that, even though this is 80 feet tall. It just takes a little more effort.<\/p>\n He has to get down off the boom and walk a good distance away to do that.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s become a habit as I drive by during the day to kind of look and see how things are going,\u201d he said. \u201cI will check on the guys and view it from the road and make notes to work on at night.\u201d<\/p>\n The mural is about 20% complete, but progressing as quickly as weather allows, and will be complete soon, Dean said.<\/p>\n The project is the tallest Dean has done to date, though it\u2019s not the first time the Cheyenne artist has tackled large murals.<\/p>\n His first, for example, was 60 feet tall and 80 feet wide. He\u2019s also done several that are about 30 feet tall.<\/p>\n Jordan\u2019s been getting asked to do more murals outside of Wyoming of late, taking his Western sensibilities far and wide.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been working on a big mural project in Alabama, and I just have a couple days left on it,\u201d he said. \u201cI had to get back here to start the water tank project, but now that one is in a good spot and the guys have enough to work on for a few days, I\u2019ll probably go to Alabama and finish that project.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019ll be back in Cheyenne to finish the water tanks before heading out to Maryland at the end of August or early September for another mural.<\/p>\n Dean credits a mural he painted in Cheyenne for an incoming trampoline park.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a guy named Matt Hubbard who worked for the installation company,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd when he saw the murals I\u2019d done on the walls, he said, \u2018I\u2019m gonna hire you someday.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n A year later, Hubbard called Dean to come paint a mural for a group therapy clinic he was starting in South Carolina, and he called him up again when he opened a second location in North Carolina.<\/p>\n Word of mouth began to spread, bringing Dean work in other states as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s taken off a little bit,\u201d he said. \u201cIt will be fun to see where these projects take me in the future. I\u2019m really grateful I get to do what I love for a living and help take care of my kids.\u201d<\/p>\n Boom lifts and all.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Cheyenne](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Cheyenne-Water-Tank-mural-Resized_dji_fly_20250725_173532_524_1753487098837_photo-8.2.25.jpeg\")
Cheyenne artist Jordan Dean is painting two giant 60-to-70-foot horses as the centerpiece of a stunning mural on a prominent water tank. It takes two giant booms, a projector and $400 a gallon paint. (Courtesy Photo)Second Tank Next Year<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Cheyenne](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Cheyenne-Water-Tank-mural-Resized_dji_fly_20250725_095632_504_1753466075922_photo-8.2.25.jpeg\")
Cheyenne artist Jordan Dean is painting two giant 60-to-70-foot horses as the centerpiece of a stunning mural on a prominent water tank. It takes two giant booms, a projector and $400 a gallon paint. (Courtesy Photo)Beyond Wyoming<\/strong><\/p>\n