The images below are from the book Wildly Austin: Austin's Landmark Art by Vikki Loving (Photography by Gregg Cestaro). Click on any of the images below to go to the Wildly Austin website.

Austin’s Little-Known History
Wildly Austin: Austin’s Landmark Art

(AUSTIN, Tex) One day in 1989, Pat Swanson sold two colorful flamingos on the lawn in front of his store, Pots and Plants, as soon as he set them out front.
Swanson kept adding flamingos to his lawn until the yard became an Austin landmark (at 360 and Bee Caves Rd). Even President Bill Clinton has stopped to buy a pair of flamingos. The community has helped defend the flamingos against threats to have them removed, and the Pots and Plants lawn has become a sanctuary for the beloved birds, reminding us that Austin is still wild!

Stories like the above communicate and reinforce the reputation of uniqueness
and independence that Austin has earned over the years. One way Austin helps
preserve its culture is through art. Extraordinary art is not only seen in museums, but has also become a part of the landscape of Austin and is seen at restaurants, on cars, and in front of stores.

Vikki Loving has captured the essence of Austin’s quirkiness in her new book,
Wildly Austin: Austin’s Landmark Art, with stories like the above. What started out in 2000 as an outing with her daughter to photograph different and interesting things around Austin, has turned into a book aiming to encourage others to follow their dreams.

Loving says, “I was inspired to document this art because each piece is the
manifestation of one person’s passion. Each landmark represents a purpose
fulfilled or a dream followed. My goal with this book is to inspire more people to love an idea enough to see it through to its fruition.”

Wildly Austin: Austin’s Landmark Art features pictures of distinct artwork in
the community with the accompanying stories behind each piece. Loving reveals the background on these landmarks, ranging from the Eiffel Tower statue outside Dreyfus Antiques that was attacked by a man in a King-Kong suit, to the notorious two-headed longhorn at the restaurant, County Line on the Hill, to the explanation behind Mangia Pizza’s “Mangia Zilla” mobile.

Wildly Austin: Austin’s Landmark Art is the first in a four-part series.
“Wildly Austin books will be about the unique, fun, funky things we celebrate here in Austin. The first about landmark art, the second about murals, the third about architecture and the fourth about destinations that are truly Austin,” says Loving. “Keep an eye out for Wildly Austin tours, maps and t-shirts.”

If you've got interesting shots of Austin scenes, send your JPEGs to scenes@austinexperience.com or mail actual photos to:

AustinExperience.com
P.O. Box 140404
Austin, TX 78714-0404

(Photos will not be returned, so don't send us originals you can't part with.)

Looking for more Austin artists? Check out AustinExperience.com's Artist Links

Looking for other scenes of Austin? Click here.