Brenham’s downtown murals are worth the drive

Brenham’s downtown murals are worth the drive

brenham's downtown murals

This retro mural reminds me of Nancy Drew. Pam LeBlanc photo

I can’t pass up a good mural, and yesterday’s assignment in Brenham, Texas, showed me that big cities aren’t the only place to find them.

You’ll find Brenham’s downtown murals tucked in alleyways, on the side of liquor stores and restaurants, and on raw brick walls throughout the city’s quaint downtown.

I timed my trip to coincide with a downpour, which made it tricky to see them all, but I drove around for 30 minutes and quickly discovered about 20.

Each fall, the city brings in a featured mural artist during the Texas Arts & Music Festival, and another work of art goes up.

The best of Brenham’s downtown murals

My favorite of Brenham’s downtown murals? A retro-styled painting of a blonde woman and a big red bear, painted by Michael Rodriguez in 2017. The mural is located at 210 S. Park Street.

brenham's downtown murals

This Brenham mural depicts blues musician Blind Willie Johnson. Pam LeBlanc photo

Others worth a peek include the portrait of blues musician Blind Willie Johnson by Levi Ponce on Commerce Street, just a few blocks away.

Brenham's downtown murals

This mural welcomes visitors to downtown Brenham. Pam LeBlanc photo

You can’t miss the big Brenham mural welcoming you to downtown at 216 W. Alamo Street.

Brenham's downtown murals

Jeff Soto painted this mural in downtown Brenham. Pam LeBlanc photo

Jeff Soto painted a pair of blue owls on the side of a two story building at Baylor and Commerce Streets in just three days.

Brenham's downtown murals

A quick walk through downtown will take you past this bright mural. Pam LeBlanc photo

You’ll find free parking downtown, within easy walking distance of two other murals at 305 S. Park Street. Love Yourself, by Helena Martin, depicts a cardinal clutching a rose, and Seeing Double, by Chad Eaton, shows a pair of black and white armadillos.

brenham's downtown murals

A pair of armadillos adorn the side of a downtown building in Brenham. Pam LeBlanc photo

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Discovering new murals on today’s bike tour of East Austin

Discovering new murals on today’s bike tour of East Austin

I rode my bike along East 11th Street today, where I discovered some new murals. Pam LeBlanc photo


Every few weeks, I set out on two wheels to check out murals throughout downtown Austin.
This morning, I knocked out 30 miles and uncovered some art I hadn’t seen before. I wanted to focus my search on East 11th Street, where a giant yellow “Black Artists Matter” was painted last month. (A huge Black Austin Matters mural is also painted on Congress Avenue.)

The view from the top of Doug Sahm Hill on Riverside Drive. Pam LeBlanc photo


But first, I stopped at the top of Doug Sahm Hill on West Riverside Drive to get an overview of the city. From there, I hopped on the boardwalk and rolled east to Interstate 35 overpass, where I crossed and headed north.

Black Artists Matter is painted on 11th Street between Waller and Lydia. Chris LeBlanc photo


Black Artists Matter stretches for an entire block on 11th Street, between Waller and Lydia streets. Capitol View Arts and the Austin Justice Coalition teamed up to install the mural. Along a fence on the north side of the street, a series of smaller paintings also promotes black artists.

Austin hippie by El Federico. Pam LeBlanc photo


It’s not part of the series, but I’ve always liked the groovy painting of a cowboy hippie wielding a can of spray paint, by El Federico, on the south side of the street. (El Federico also painted the “Lover/Hater” mural on East Cesar Chavez street I’ve mentioned in past articles.)
Farther west, John Yancy’s bright-as-a-sunrise, 50-foot mosaic, “Rhapsody,” at Dr. Charles E. Urdy Plaza at East 11th and Waller Streets, honors the city’s jazz scene, once centered right here. Urdy is a former professor at Huston-Tillotson College who served five terms on the Austin City Council.

John Yancy’s mosaic honors Austin’s jazz scene. Chris LeBlanc photo


Found this on the north side of 11th Street. Pam LeBlanc photo


Ryan Runcie painted this mural of notable Austinites. Chris LeBlanc photo


But my favorite of the day? The mural of hand-in-hand people (oh, pre-Covid I miss you!) on the side of the African American Cultural District building on East 11th Street, painted by artist Ryan Runcie. The mural, according to Runcie’s website, is a symbol of hope. “It is a signpost that good will always overcome evil,” he says. It depicts Austin notables Deitrich Hamilton, Johnny Holmes, Doris Miller, Dorothy Turner, Gary Clark Jr., Mikaela Ulmer and Charles Overton.
I hopped to the other side of Interstate 35 for the cruise back home, pausing on Red River Street to admire a few other murals I’ve never noticed.

This spaceman is reaching for a slice of pizza behind Brick Oven Restaurant. Pam LeBlanc photo


This poor whale is wrapped up in ropes. Pam LeBlanc photo


Mike “Truth” Johnston painted the spaceman reaching for a slice of pizza on a cement retaining wall behind Brick Oven Pizza at 1209 Red River Street.
Adjacent to that is a mural of a red whale, knotted up in ropes. I couldn’t find the artist’s name.

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I found some new Austin murals by bike this week

I found some new Austin murals by bike this week

This 12-story mural on the side of the Line Hotel in downtown Austin commemorates the 19th amendment, which granted women the right to vote. Chris LeBlanc photo

I’ve been spending a lot of time on my bike lately, and this weekend I zipped downtown, where I got an up-close view of some new murals.

My new favorite? The huge mural on the west side of the LINE Hotel (formerly the Radisson) at Congress Avenue and the river, where Canadian artist Sandra Chevrier collaborated with American street artist Shepard Fairey, the artist who illustrated the Barrack Obama campaign poster a few years ago. The 12-story mural, part of the Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation’s “Writing on the Walls” series, celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which granted women the right to vote. Even better, it features one of my personal heroes, Wonder Woman. (I once rappelled down a 38-story building in downtown Austin dressed as Wonder Woman, and have raced several 5K runs in a Wonder Woman costume.)

This crooning cowboy adorns the east side of Native Hostel. Pam LeBlanc photo

And a mural on Native Hostel’s north side honors Austin band the Black Pumas. Pam LeBlanc photo

The Native Hostel at 807 East Fourth Street has repainted several of its walls with fresh murals. The north side features a painting honoring the band the Austin-based band the Black Pumas (I love that song “Colors”), and the east side features a cartoon image of a singing cowboy.

Can you name all the vegetarians in this photo next to Mr. Natural on East Cesar Chavez? Pam LeBlanc photo

I stopped to admire a huge mural of a bunch of vegetarians next to the Mr. Natural location at 1901 Cesar Chavez, but couldn’t correctly identify everyone in the scene. (The restaurant, which opened in East Austin in 1988, is offering curbside service in these pandemic days.)

This small mural on Waller Street is tucked in the gateway of a private home. Pam LeBlanc photo

I got one more surprise – a small-but-really fun Austin-centric mural in the front gateway to someone’s home on Waller Street, a few blocks north of the river.

What are your favorite murals?

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

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