Exploring Houston’s Murals

Found all over Instagram, Facebook, and the blogosphere, murals are the “it” photo backdrops right now. Not only are they fresh, colorful and fun, but they are also a great way to add that extra something in your photographs. It’s like taking a picture in front of a massive piece of art.

With so many great murals popping up, I wanted to put together a simple guide for anyone in or around Houston looking for that perfect photo opportunity spot. I wanted to do a mini photo session myself in front of these murals but it was crazy hot and humid this past ~~summer~~ weekend and the vibe I was giving off was not cute.

I know I’m missing some great murals like the Houston Is Inspired mural located downtown (907 Preston Street, Houston, Texas 77002), but hopefully this list can get you started.

1 | Preservons La Creation

This mural by Sebastien Boileau is currently the largest in Houston. It’s a full city block wide and is 60 feet tall and pretty hard to miss if you’re driving around Midtown. Boileau was born in Versailles, France and after traveling the world, he landed in Houston in 2000 and started his mural company, Eyeful Art Murals and Designs. Preservons La Creation pictures Michelangelo’s God holding… you guessed it, a can of spray paint.

Address: 2800 San Jacinto Street, Houston, Texas 77004

2 | Street Art by Daniel Anguilu

Right across the street from Preservons La Creation, you can find some street art by one of Houston’s most famous muralist, Daniel Anguilu. Not only is his work amazing but it’s also easy to recognize with his use of lines and different colors. I first heard of Anguilu’s work when he painted the mural on the Lawndale Art Center (see below) and right about that time, then-Houston Texan Connor Barwin had Anguilu paint an awesome mural in his apartment.

Address: 2800 San Jacinto Street, Houston, Texas 77004

3 | Biscuit Paint Wall

One of Houston’s most colorful murals is the Biscuit Paint Wall located at Biscuit Home in Montrose. This mural is the second Sebastein Boileau creation on the list. With its fun colors, this mural is popular for engagement pictures, maternity shoots, selfies, pretty much everything! Since this mural sits right next to a parking lot, go during off-peak hours to avoid cars in your photographs.

Address: 1435 Westheimer Road, Houston, Texas 77006

4 | Lawndale Art Center

Each year or so, the Lawndale Art Center highlights one artist for its Lawndale Mural Project. Like I mentioned earlier, Daniel Anguilu had an awesome mural on display back in 2012. If you drive by now, you will see Jonathan Leach’s mural, Ghost Grid. Ghost Grid features bright, vibrant colors with reflective paint accents which would be really cool to see at night. The fun thing about this space is that it’s always changing. Check back after the new year to see a different mural.

Address: 4912 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77002

5 | Gorilla Art

This past May, the Houston Zoo opened its much anticipated gorilla habitat but before the grand opening, you could drive around Houston and see different gorilla murals all over town. The Houston Zoo teamed up with five talented artists, each designed and painted a mural featuring gorillas. While each mural is great in its own way, do I dare say my favorite is the mural by Sebastien Boileau? This marks Sebastien’s third appearance on the list.

Address: 2119 Washington Avenue, Houston, Texas 77007

6 | Greetings From Houston

Like a fun oversized postcard, this Daniel Anguilu mural is a wonderful collage of all things “Houston”. You have everything from an oil derrick to a space shuttle represented in the mural. There’s even a mixtape painted… I’m guessing some Beyonce and Paul Wall? And can you spot Daniel Anguilu’s signature mosaic design scattered throughout the mural? Since this mural is located right outside a gelato shop, you can grab a yummy scoop after your photo session.

Address: 3601 White Oak Drive, Houston, Texas 77007

A photo posted by Christine Keane (@christinekeane) on Aug 22, 2015 at 12:49pm PDT

7 | You Are My Sunshine

I don’t really know much about this mural except a. it’s located on the outside wall of a kids clothing store in the Heights, and b. it’s super cute. Who doesn’t love “You Are My Sunshine”? And I bet you sang “… my only sunshine” right afterwards too, didn’t you? This sweet, simple mural would be perfect for an engagement shoot.

Address: 1948 Rutland Street, Houston, Texas 77008