big grafitti wall in Austin

Yesterday my sister and I attempted to spray paint these shelves metallic gold so we could finish up our living room. Our farm table dining table was made in the wrong size, so we are still waiting for locally-madeness to complete our home. In the meantime we thought, why not just spray paint these shelves in our living room instead of lugging everything down three flights of stairs and then literally watching paint dry?

Since we have virtually no newspaper in our house, we used trader joe's bags and ikea cardboard and plastic to cover our floors. Then we opened all our windows. Then we tried to spray paint two shelves and two chairs with one can of paint. 

We did not succeed. 

Two cans and one well-ventilated living room later, we still haven't finished. I went to get a third can today and the local hardware store is out. 

This made me appreciate the art (and mask) I saw last week in Austin. 

Hope Gallery

Hope Gallery is a three-story art project at 11th & Baylor Street in Austin, Texas. It was created to give muralists and graffiti artists a place to share their work and serves as one of the largest outdoor galleries in the US. It was launched by the HOPE Campaign in March 2011. 

I did not know about Hope Outdoor Gallery (HOG) until my co-worker mentioned it - she kept referring to it as 'that graffiti wall on Baylor'. My recent trip to Austin was my first trip to Austin so I figured - why not?! I was there for work (covering SXSWedu) and after a long week of sessions and summits and live tweeting we all went out to see this graffiti wall. The cab driver to this location was convinced this intersection of roads didn't exist, and our cab driver leaving had never seen it before. So, either we got two very clueless cab drivers or this place might still be a hidden gem for even Austin residents. 

It reminded me (of course) of Berlin. The weather was glorious, people were hanging out and art was being made all around me. We snapped some photos and climbed. What better way to spend the afternoon? 

Afterward we got some bomb southern food and experimental desserts... check back for updates on what I ate in Austin!

xx, 

Stephanie

p.s. I will be posting a bit less frequently, but at least once a week. So check back every Tuesday to ensure fresh content!