New Murals in Austin You May Have Missed
With murals sprouting across town like bluebonnets, here's a guide to some of the most notable new additions
By Robert Faires, Fri., April 3, 2020
Somewhere in Austin, there may be a few bare walls outdoors, but they're becoming rare beasts. For many local artists, they're the canvas of choice, with the result being murals sprouting across town like bluebonnets. Among the latest crop are the city's largest mural to date, a spectacular mosaic of an Austin music legend, and a series of artworks that beautify underpass pillars. Here's a guide to some notable murals that debuted in just the past year, so you can keep an eye out for them whenever you're on your way to or from those essential businesses that are getting us through our sheltering in place.
100th Anniversary of 19th Amendment's Passage, artists: Sandra Chevrier and Shepard Fairey
West side of the LINE Hotel, Congress at Cesar Chavez
The Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation commissioned Canadian street artist Sandra Chevrier and the man behind the "Obey Giant" image, Shepard Fairey, to collaborate on a mural, and they painted this 12-story commemoration of the centenary of the 19th Amendment securing women's right to vote.
Female Empowerment Mural, artist: Sadé Lawson
North Lamar just before the underpass near West Fifth
The Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation commissioned a mural from Austinite Sadé Lawson, and she created this portrait of a woman presented as three figures, each rendered in a different primary color, all rising from a body of water. She considers it a tribute to female empowerment.
The Pillars Project, artists: Kendrick Rudolph, Tanner, Reji Thomas, Carmen Rangel, J Muzacz, Will "Hatch" Crosby
Pleasant Valley Bridge Underpass at Rosewood Ave., 2300 Rosewood
As part of the neighborhood beautification project "The Pillars Project: Our History, Our Trail," six artists created individual murals for each of the six pillars under the Pleasant Valley Bridge where it crosses Rosedale Avenue. The artists based their designs on the history of East Austin.
Gina Chavez, artist: Levi Ponce
Something Cool Studios, 2400 E Cesar Chavez St, #206
While visiting Austin just before the coronavirus shutdown, L.A. muralist Levi Ponce created three new pieces of public art for the city, one of which is a 12-foot-tall portrait of Austin native and 10-time Austin Music Award winner Gina Chavez. (For more, see the accompanying feature, "How Austin Musician Gina Chavez Became the Subject of the City's Latest Mural.")
Grey Ghost, The Mosaic Workshop, artists: J Muzacz, Carmen Rangel and Genevieve Levicki, plus community
Something Cool Studios, 2400 E Cesar Chavez St, #206
The inaugural project by the East Austin Mosaic Workshop Legacy Series. in which artists J Muzacz, Carmen Rangel, and Genevieve Levicki led community participants to collaborate on the creation of a portrait of East Austin blues legend Roosevelt "Grey Ghost" Williams with tens of thousands of glass tiles and salvaged pieces of stained glass, mirrors, and ceramics.
Cover image of The Roxy Letters, artist: Nathan Nordstrom
North-facing wall on Lamar between Sixth and Ninth (next to a food truck)
The novel The Roxy Letters by Austin writer Mary Pauline Lowry largely takes place where Lamar and West Sixth intersect, with its heroine working at the Whole Foods deli counter, buying books at BookPeople, and being disturbed by the construction of a Lululemon boutique at the former Waterloo Video site. Graffiti king Nathan Nordstrom, aka Sloke1, reproduced the book's cover image of a woman's red lips and heart-shaped sunglasses a few blocks north on Lamar.
Peace and Harmony, artist: Tyson Davis
Colony Park District Park, 7201 Colony Park Loop Drive
As part of the city-funded Colony Park District Park improvement project, Austin artist Tyson Davis created this 30-foot by 60-foot mural of doves in flight to reflect the East Austin community's struggles in the past and hopes for the area's future.
Las Flores de Tejas y las Abejas Mexicanas (Texas Wildflowers and Mexican Honeybees), artist: J Muzacz
Hill Country Galleria, intersection of Bee Cave Road, Hwy 620, and Hwy 71
For one of three murals commissioned by Hill Country Galleria, J Muzacz was inspired by the state's seasonal wildflowers and the colonies of Mexican bees that gave the community of Bee Cave its name to create this 10-foot by 20-foot mosaic mural of bluebonnets, Indian blanket, spiderwort, and purple coneflowers in full bloom with bees working a copper honeycomb.
Hi There, artist: Helena Sue Martin
Hill Country Galleria, intersection of Bee Cave Road, Hwy 620, and Hwy 71
For one of three murals commissioned by Hill Country Galleria, Helena Sue Martin painted a 16-foot-tall golden-cheeked warbler with its head cocked and eye directed at the viewer, with a Texas-friendly "hi there" written in script beside its head.
Bijou the Bee, artist: Avery Orendorf / Avery O Design
Hill Country Galleria, intersection of Bee Cave Road, Hwy 620, and Hwy 71
For one of three murals commissioned by Hill Country Galleria, Avery Orendorf of Avery O Design filled four panels with brightly colored wildflowers in a graphic illustration style against a light turquoise sky. Hovering over the flowers in one panel is the titular bee, whose name is drawn from the children's book Skydancer: Adventures of a Monarch Butterfly by Tania DeGregorio.
