Arts & Culture

Willie Nelson mural, torn down after a fire, returns to downtown Austin

KUT 90.5 | By Michael Minasi

Published April 9, 2025 at 8:47 AM CDT

Sunflowers, a Texas flag and horses accompany Willie Nelson in the mural, along with an owl — the artist's nod to Night Owl Therapy, which provides mental health support for nightlife industry workers.

A Willie Nelson mural is returning to East Seventh Street in downtown Austin after the original version was torn down following a building fire.

The original artist, musician Wiley Ross, says he was contacted by a developer and the owner of whiskey bar Seven Grand to replace the mural, which is now completed on the wall of 405 E. Seventh St. — only a few feet away from its original location.

When asked how the experience painting this mural differed from a decade ago, Wiley Ross said the first one was a lot more "under the influence" and "chaotic." This time, he said, "I could take my time."

Ross says he wanted to celebrate the 91-year-old country music star's illustrious career.

"I mean people love his music, but I think what they really love more is the spirit of him and what he represents," he says.

Painted on Nelson's shirt in the mural is "WWWND," or What would Willie Nelson do?

"People should ask themselves that," Ross says.

Ross says the project was entirely possible thanks to a property developer and the adjacent bar owner who reached out to him. "If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here," he says. The dogs in the mural represent his friends' pets that have died.

Ross hired some people experiencing homelessness in the area to help work on the mural, located across the street from the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless.

"We're all a couple paychecks away from being ... in their shoes," Ross says. "It doesn't matter who it is — whether rich, poor, homeless, homed, whatever — they all love Willie Nelson."

The artist painted "WWWND" on the shirt in the mural, standing for, "What would Willie Nelson do?"