Calgary’s newest mural will make Sunnyside even more cheerful

Calgary artist Alex Kwong paints new mural in Sunnyside. (Supplied/Parker PR)

Calgarians may be facing challenges keeping their gardens in bloom amid the city's ongoing water main repairs, but there are some new flowers in Sunnyside that will never need watering.

The flowers are part of a colourful new mural being painted on the side of the 'Hive at Sunnyside' apartment building on 9A Street N.W.

The giant sunflower mural from Calgary-based artist Alex Kwong pays tribute to Sunnyside's community garden.

Once completed, it will be visible to drivers along Memorial Drive, pedestrians on the river pathway and passengers on the CTrain.

In a news release, Kwong said the mural design draws on his "memories of time spent painting murals in Sunnyside at the beginning of his career," as well as the bee hive that is to be incorporated into the Hive development.

"We believe that great cities and great communities have great art," said Edan Lindenbach, CEO of JEMM Properties, owner of Hive at Sunnyside.

"People who visit or live in Sunnyside connect with art in a very authentic way, so the choice to make unique local artwork a significant part of Hive was always part of our vision for this project."

Kwong began working on the mural on Monday and is expected to finish by Sunday.

If you want to head over and check out the progress, the building is located at 223 9A Street N.W.