An iconic Willie Nelson mural in Austin has found new life after being demolished alongside the 100-year-old building it was painted on in February.
The massive mural, first commissioned in 2016 as the background for South By Southwest’s “Heart of Texas Rockfest,” became one of downtown Austin’s most famous art installations and a destination for Nelson fans and tourists visiting the iconic live music city. In 2017, Janis Joplin was added to the artwork.
A fire in February caused structural damage to its host building, which put the mural in jeopardy. Instead of renovating the building, its owners decided to demolish the property at 405 East Seventh St.. Austin’s Historic Landmark Commission evaluated the structure and painting for preservation but eventually approved demolition plans anyway. There was speculation that the mural might be reproduced nearby. Seven Grand, a whiskey bar located in the adjoining building, hinted at being open to having the mural located on their wall nearby.
Jaffa LLC, owners of the demolished mural’s original building and the proprietors of Seven Grand, permitted original mural artist Wiley Ross to recreate the artwork on the previously exposed side of Seven Grand’s building. Ross has spent the past three weeks repainting the renowned mural, bringing Willie’s visage back to life.
Now, Willie Nelson’s face once again highlights the area. The artwork is located just down the street from downtown Austin’s largest homeless and outreach shelter. Ross hired some of the area’s unhoused neighbors to prepare the new building for painting. The artist hopes the gesture allowed them to feel like participants in the community by contributing to the mural, which he hopes will, in turn, create a sense of protection for it.
The new mural, though shorter than the original, is a much larger canvas, which allowed Ross to add more details and imagery to Nelson’s iconic figure. Along the long strip of wall, sunflowers, horses and the Texas state flag are all featured, and Ross has plans to fill it with even more details. “The horses represent freedom, and I know Willie is really fond of horses,” Ross told SavingCountryMusic. “I’m going to fill it up with some more animals, like a longhorn. Give it a Noah’s Ark feel.”
According to Ross, the mural is even better than the previous one, despite not being as large. “If I’m being honest, I think this one is much better,” Ross said.