PHOENIX — Roosevelt Row became a canvas for local artists.
Murals can be seen all over this part of downtown Phoenix. It's what transformed this historic area into what it is now: A place for creators to come together and share their art with others.
"I think it's really nice to just walk around and look at all the different kinds of murals," said Kaylin Cantu, who lives in Tempe.
One of the murals takes up an entire white wall. It's called "The Garden" created by Brian Boner. He said it has been displayed for eight years and was at one point the most shared mural in downtown on Instagram. The piece shows a young boy and a dozens of birds taking flight along the wall.
"I actually really loved it and I like that they kept it as a bland white canvas on the back so it stood out," said Angel Virtuoso, another local artist.
This week, Boner said someone came along and put their own art over it. Vandalizing it the point where it was beyond repair forcing nearly the entire mural to be painted over.
As heartbreaking as it was for Boner, artists and others enjoying First Friday saw this and were also hit hard by the discovery.
"I think it's really sad people would do that especially since artists take so much time," Cantu said.
"That would hurt, that would hurt me," said Shane Perrish. "You get mad and you want to fight somebody."
Since Boner made the post, he has received a huge outpouring of support for his work and those who admired it. Sending 12News a statement that wrote:
“I’m so grateful for all the positive feedback and support from everyone in the community through this. The message of this mural has touched a lot of people in so many ways, and I’m committed to contributing to a new and positive image for the wall."
As for what's next for the artist, Boner said he is in contact with the property owners and plans on creating a new mural in the same spot.
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