AUSTIN, Texas — Austin artist Chris Rogers has been making marks on things for as long as he can remember, creating works of art significant to the local art scene.
One contribution he made was a mural he painted in tribute to victims of police brutality like Michael Ramos and George Floyd. Another was "We Rise," a mural located at the corner of 12th and Chicon streets that was the first one Rogers painted in Austin.
"The first time that I painted this wall was in 2013 and in 2017. It got painted over once the gentrification started," Rogers said.
When he painted the mural, his goal was to bring more vibrancy to the area.
"It proved to be one of the more satisfying projects that I did because even before I was done, I'd have people in that community kind of come up to me and thank me for bringing color to their neighborhood," Rogers said.
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It has been eight years since Rogers first started the mural. Now he's coming back to it with a fresh point of view.
He said he has undergone a revolution.
"The artist I was eight years ago isn't the same artist I am today," Rogers said. "A big part of my story is recovery. Just this past Jan. 14, I got 10 years of sobriety. And so, I've been able to just experience life on a whole another level ... One of the biggest things that sobriety is giving me back is myself."
He wants to use that newfound perspective to express himself to give back and bring new life into his art.
"I can see things, I can do things and I can say things aesthetically that I wasn't able to before," Rogers said. "There's a lot of motifs of fire and water, and color is going to get brighter and more profound. So I don't know – it's at a beautiful intersection, and I just want it to stop people in their tracks."