Robert Tapley Bustamante

Robert Tapley Bustamante’s primary approach to murals and public art is rooted in collaboration. He gathers insights from organizational leaders such as CEOs, COOs, and Directors, and he engages with fellow artists and welcomes creative contributions from the broader community. Every project begins with a conversation: a two-way exchange built on sharing, listening, and collecting detailed notes that later inform his sketches and evolve into refined mockups.

His process is methodical and well-documented, often visualized through flow charts—a technique honed over more than 20 years as a highly sought-after UX Design Consultant in the Kansas City Metro Area. Bustamante has worked with advertising agencies, Fortune 500 corporations, and mid-sized companies, bringing a strategic and user-centered mindset to his art practice.

Once a creative direction is agreed upon by all stakeholders, Bustamante combines on-site photography of walls and surfaces with detailed design mockups created using Adobe Creative Suite. These mockups are overlaid onto the photographs to provide contextual clarity and help collaborators visualize proposed solutions before any painting begins.

Throughout the process, he implements several checkpoints to ensure client satisfaction and to define acceptable and unacceptable color choices. He is often tasked with precise color matching based on established Brand Identity Guidelines and incorporates specific logos and typographic elements. To meet corporate branding standards, Bustamante employs modern technologies such as laser cutters to accurately scale and reproduce logos and branding components. For example, he has successfully recreated sponsor logos to integrate them seamlessly into the broader visual narrative of a client’s business property.

Bustamante emphasizes that complementary activities are essential for building trust and acceptance between artists and the communities they serve. Without these efforts, artists risk being seen as outsiders who arrive with their own ideas, create something visually striking, and then leave without meaningful engagement. To avoid this disconnect, he prioritizes community input, which can take many forms including town hall meetings, creative brainstorming sessions, member surveys, public-generated vision boards, and historical research in partnership with local visitor centers.

He has extensive experience leading these types of engagements and also facilitates direct public participation through community paint days. These events invite residents to contribute to specific portions of murals or public art projects, helping to foster a sense of shared ownership and connection to the final work.

Bustamante’s educational activities often involve students directly in the creation of murals, paintings, or other aspects of the creative process. Each participant contributes individually toward a larger collective vision, guided by his hands-on instruction, coaching, encouragement, and collaborative spirit.

When possible, he organizes a “Workshop Day” to teach students how to create custom stencils. This experience is especially impactful, as many students are only familiar with generic, store-bought stencil designs. Bustamante introduces them to the idea of designing their own, deepening their engagement and creative confidence.

In previous mural projects, he has also created custom coloring book illustrations to help younger children connect with the mural’s theme. For example, during a project focused on Voting Rights for Women, he designed a coloring page that allowed children to explore the topic in an age-appropriate and meaningful way.

During a two-day visit to Kansas State University, when stencils were not available for an impromptu student activity, Bustamante gathered found objects from nature and recycling bins to demonstrate creative resourcefulness. The students responded enthusiastically, embracing the challenge and discovering new ways to see everyday materials.

Bustamante’s standard hourly rate is $100, though he often goes beyond hourly constraints to ensure the creative integrity of each project. For clients with fixed budgets, he recommends a flat fee combined with a fixed materials cost. He also offers a square footage pricing model ranging from $10 to $18 per square foot, depending on project complexity and urgency.

His design process typically accounts for 20% to 25% of the total project budget. If custom stencils are required, this portion may increase to as much as 40%. Community engagement activities are generally included in the overall budget and can represent around 10% of the total cost. The creation of the mural or public artwork itself comprises 50% to 60% of the budget.

Bustamante considers follow-up an essential part of his professional practice and does not require additional payment for it. While he is beginning to explore installation work particularly for public art sculptures; this service is not yet part of his standard offerings. Supplies such as paint, UV sealers, lifts, and other materials can range from 10% to 40% of the budget, depending on the scale and scope of the project.