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Artist Bill Tavis, left, and his assistant, Nathan Giovinazzo, work on Tavis’ mural covering a water tank on Armadillo Road in South Austin on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. The mural, depicting an armadillo playing a guitar outside Armadillo World Headquarters, celebrates the history of the legendary Austin music venue and wraps the 80-foot-tall water tank, spanning about 14,400 square feet.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
A South Austin water tank is being transformed into what the artist says could become Austin\u2019s largest mural \u2014 a colorful tribute to Armadillo World Headquarters, live music and \u201cold Austin.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The 80-foot-tall tank stands at 910 Armadillo Road in Armadillo Neighborhood Park, near West William Cannon Drive and South First Street. Artist Bill Tavis said the mural will partly honor Armadillo World Headquarters, the influential Austin music venue that closed in 1980.<\/p>\n
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\u201cA lot of the people who made that venue happen lived in this neighborhood,\u201d said Tavis, who has lived in Austin for 13 years. \u201cThe venue was down by the river near Barton Springs, and there\u2019s kind of a trail back to this neighborhood that some people call the ‘hippie highway,’ around South First and Emerald Forest. That\u2019s what this represents.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Artist Bill Tavis gets ready to work on his mural covering a water tank on Armadillo Road in South Austin on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. The mural, depicting an armadillo playing a guitar outside Armadillo World Headquarters, celebrates the history of the legendary Austin music venue and wraps the 80-foot-tall water tank, spanning about 14,400 square feet.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
The mural will feature several armadillos, including one playing guitar and another drinking from a pond. It also will depict wildflowers and a honeybee.<\/p>\n
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Artist Bill Tavis, left, and his assistant, Nathan Giovinazzo, work on Tavis’ mural covering a water tank on Armadillo Road in South Austin on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. The mural, depicting an armadillo playing a guitar outside Armadillo World Headquarters, celebrates the history of the legendary Austin music venue and wraps the 80-foot-tall water tank, spanning about 14,400 square feet.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
A reference drawing for artist Bill Tavis’ mural is taped to a wall at a water tank on Armadillo Road in South Austin on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. Tavis uses the numbered grid on the drawing to transfer the design onto the curved, 80-foot-tall water tank, where the mural celebrating the history of Armadillo World Headquarters spans about 14,400 square feet.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Artist Bill Tavis, left, and his assistant, Nathan Giovinazzo, work on Tavis’ mural covering a water tank on Armadillo Road in South Austin on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. The mural, depicting an armadillo playing a guitar outside Armadillo World Headquarters, celebrates the history of the legendary Austin music venue and wraps the 80-foot-tall water tank, spanning about 14,400 square feet.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Nathan Giovinazzo, assistant to mural artist Bill Tavis, gathers paint before working on Tavis’ mural covering a water tank on Armadillo Road in South Austin on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. The mural, depicting an armadillo playing a guitar outside Armadillo World Headquarters, celebrates the history of the legendary Austin music venue and wraps the 80-foot-tall water tank, spanning about 14,400 square feet.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Artist Bill Tavis holds a gridded reference drawing before working on his mural covering a water tank on Armadillo Road in South Austin on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. Tavis uses the grid to transfer the design onto the curved, 80-foot-tall water tank, where the mural celebrating the history of Armadillo World Headquarters spans about 14,400 square feet.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Artist Bill Tavis, left, and his assistant, Nathan Giovinazzo, work on Tavis’ mural covering a water tank on Armadillo Road in South Austin on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. The mural, depicting an armadillo playing a guitar outside Armadillo World Headquarters, celebrates the history of the legendary Austin music venue and wraps the 80-foot-tall water tank, spanning about 14,400 square feet.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Artist Bill Tavis works on his mural covering a water tank on Armadillo Road in South Austin on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. The mural, depicting an armadillo playing a guitar outside Armadillo World Headquarters, celebrates the history of the legendary Austin music venue and wraps the 80-foot-tall water tank, spanning about 14,400 square feet.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Artist Bill Tavis, left, and his assistant, Nathan Giovinazzo, work on Tavis’ mural covering a water tank on Armadillo Road in South Austin on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. The mural, depicting an armadillo playing a guitar outside Armadillo World Headquarters, celebrates the history of the legendary Austin music venue and wraps the 80-foot-tall water tank, spanning about 14,400 square feet.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Grid lines mark the unfinished portion of a mural by artist Bill Tavis on a water tank on Armadillo Road in South Austin on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. Tavis uses the numbered grid to transfer the design onto the curved, 80-foot-tall water tank, where the mural celebrating the history of Armadillo World Headquarters spans about 14,400 square feet.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Artist Bill Tavis and his assistant, Nathan Giovinazzo, work on Tavis’ mural covering a water tank on Armadillo Road in South Austin on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. The mural, depicting an armadillo playing a guitar outside Armadillo World Headquarters, celebrates the history of the legendary Austin music venue and wraps the 80-foot-tall water tank, spanning about 14,400 square feet.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Nathan Giovinazzo, assistant to mural artist Bill Tavis, gathers paint before working on Tavis’ mural covering a water tank on Armadillo Road in South Austin on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. The mural, depicting an armadillo playing a guitar outside Armadillo World Headquarters, celebrates the history of the legendary Austin music venue and wraps the 80-foot-tall water tank, spanning about 14,400 square feet.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Artist Bill Tavis, left, and his assistant, Nathan Giovinazzo, work on Tavis’ mural covering a water tank on Armadillo Road in South Austin on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. The mural, depicting an armadillo playing a guitar outside Armadillo World Headquarters, celebrates the history of the legendary Austin music venue and wraps the 80-foot-tall water tank, spanning about 14,400 square feet.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s the big armadillo playing guitar to represent the live music Austin still has, even though the venue is gone,\u201d Tavis said. \u201cAround the other side, there\u2019s an armadillo drinking from a little pond because Austin Water is sponsoring the project, so it ties into the theme of drinking water.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The honeybee is a nod to the property\u2019s former owner.<\/p>\n
\u201cI learned the original landowner before the water tank was built was a beekeeper,\u201d Tavis said.<\/p>\n
Tavis said he specializes in an art style he calls \u201chalftonism,\u201d which uses patterns of solid colors with varying thicknesses to create shading.<\/p>\n
The mural will wrap around the tank\u2019s 180-foot circumference and cover about 14,400 square feet, Tavis said. He believes that could make it Austin\u2019s largest mural by square footage.<\/p>\n
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