PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — Sydney Dunmore is the creative and artistic mind behind the beautiful works of art now occupying once-empty walls at Placer County schools and businesses.
The Northern California entrepreneur started her career juggling work, painting and college, where she received a teaching degree in 2022. Managing three daily tasks was no easy feat, especially when she wanted to start an art business.
“I didn't really know what I wanted to do for the longest time, but that’s like everyone. I always was going to be an elementary school teacher just because I wanted to be creative in some way, and I thought that was my only avenue,” Dunmore said. “As a senior in high school, my tennis coach knew that I was artistic and asked me to paint a mural. I did that and then kind of after that people just kept asking for it."
Dunmore became an art teacher in 2022 at Penryn Elementary School where she taught for two years before putting teaching aside and pursuing her full-time art business in 2024.
Dunmore’s murals have already become landmarks in the cities of Placer County. In Loomis, a mural at the Loomis Basin Brewery showcases the enrichment of the city’s history behind the fresh local products it serves.
Meanwhile, in the historic district of Auburn, the mural at The Station Public House represents the culture of the restaurant's history with the transcontinental railroad.
“Seeing them post their food with the background of the mural and stuff like that, seeing the people enjoy it is my favorite part,” Dunmore said.
In addition to her public art projects, Dunmore is also passionate about serving the community with her artwork. Coming together with organizers to design a plan for a mural that represents businesses, restaurants or schools is what brings her the most happiness.
“I get to work with a lot of small businesses, which is cool to help them with their business because a lot of the time murals do bring in more customers,” said Dunmore. “So that's rewarding to be able to help other small businesses grow as well.”
Dunmore is typically found through her art website and word of mouth. She buys all her resources to paint, and that usually consists of brushes, paint, tape and any other materials she may need during the painting process. She will then give them a price for the mural.
“Sydney came to our campus and met with the principal to brainstorm a vision for the mural. The campus got feedback from the community and staff on what they wanted to see in the mural and Sydney drafted some options,” said Kaseberg Elementary principal Melissa Duncan. “The school in the end chose which mural was painted on the wall.”
According to Duncan, Dunmore was paid $5,200 for a very large wall on their campus. Any artist can work with a school to paint a mural, it just has to be approved by the district office staff first.
The schools Dunmore has painted murals for are part of the Roseville City Elementary School District, Loomis Union Elementary School District, Placer Union High School District, Rocklin Unified School District, and the Western Placer Unified School District.
Dunmore has painted murals at Kaseberg Elementary, Blue Oaks Elementary, Loomis Grammar, Loomis Basin Charter, Del Oro High School, Lincoln High School and Breen Elementary.
“School pride, it just brightens up the campus and then a lot of the schools put their school motto or their like ‘the be safe, be respectful, be responsible,’ whatever that school's slogan is,” Dunmore said. “They put that on the wall, so it's like a constant reminder but in like a fun and creative way.”
As Dunmore continues to leave her mark in different cities around Placer County, the appreciation for the work she paints doesn't stop there. She has many projects coming up that are with more schools and businesses around the area, including window painting for shops.
“Everyone's figuring it out as they go, but if you really love it, you'll keep doing it and it'll work out,” Dunmore said.
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