Blog

It’s been almost a year since UWATX joined with Creative Suitcase to paint the Butter Half mural –  a large-scale work that reflects our mission to bring people together. Since then, the Butter Half mural has (pardon the pun) spread throughout Greater Austin. It’s been pinned, tweeted and blogged. It’s even made it’s way into a scavenger hunt, an editorial, a cutest couple content , on nail art and onto Austin’s most comprehensive to do list.

But more than anything, the mural has been the background for couple photo shoots. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we asked the photographers and subjects of such pictures why the mural spoke to them:

Jin + Vincent Ferrer:
We love seeing this quirky mural outside our living room window! Truly a visual perk of living on the East Side and, also, a nice daily reminder to keep the wedded bliss fun and unpredictable.

Jodi Bart Holzband:
My fiance, now husband, found the mural as he was searching the web for murals in Austin. We really love street art and had a handful of other murals picked out as backdrops, but when we saw the ‘You’re My Butter Half’ mural, we were so excited, because we hadn’t seen anyone else use it as a backdrop, and because it seemed pretty appropriate for two food-lovers.

Sabrina Consolascio-Garcia of Sabrina{bean}photography:
My poor honey was feeling pretty icky that day and he still allowed me to drag him out of the house for a little adventure. I actually read about the mural and we headed out to find it. As a photographer, murals like these are gems! All the murals in Austin are all positive and have a meaning of love and peace. Just one of the many reasons I love this great city.

Andy Sams (photographer):
My clients wanted to explore some of the funky and unique locations in East Austin so the “butter half” mural on the side of the United Way building immediately came to mind. To me the mural represents the fact that love isn’t always sappy or serious. Love can come in the form of a knowing glance, a mutual passion for a cause, deep shared values or it can be simply chuckling at a silly play on words written on a wall. Love is really like making up your own recipe for a meal… a little of this and a little of that create the best end product.

Geoff Duncan (photographer):
I live on the east side and would drive by the mural everyday and thought it might be a cool place to stop during an engagement session. We made sure to grab a cup of coffee from Bennu afterwards, which is just across the street.

Adrian Tapia (photographer):

I chose this spot because its a young vibrant mural that was perfectly suited for Taylor and Matt, an equally fun loving and colorful pair.