Local news and fun, every day 6am.
Featured
austonia newsletter
Most viewed

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Austinite Federico Portalupi has gone viral on TikTok for his art work.
When Federico Portalupi started posting to TikTok in May, he never imagined he would go viral. But his artwork—composed of acrylics, powders, glass, inks and other materials—has since been viewed and liked by millions on the app.
It took one particular video for Portalupi's art to really take off on the video sharing platform. A time lapse of him working on an ocean shore art piece has since been viewed over 2 million times.
View video here.www.tiktok.com
Portalupi, 36, didn't always know he was an artist. He moved with his family to Florida from Argentina in 2004 and often walked into an art gallery next door to his family's gelato shop. Eventually, a local artist who taught classes at the gallery told him, "Dude, I see you every single week. You obviously like art. Buy a damn canvas."
These were words he would never forget.
Portalupi bought paints and a canvas shortly after and started painting for the first time—but not for long. He was poised for a business career and stopped painting for about 10 years, during which time he ended up in Austin working in a sales position.
In 2018, he decided to start painting again. He found a passion for resin art. A lot of his pieces showcase oceans, galaxies or abstract art with bold colors.
As part of this "turnaround" process, Portalupi also made his social media debuts—previously not having any social media accounts—on Instagram and Facebook. While he showcased his work in art shows, it was TikTok that launched his business to new, unexpected heights earlier this year.
"I have two passions in life—deep sea fishing and painting. And to be able to think about the possibility of one of those things being my livelihood, while I share what I do and getting the response that I'm currently getting from people without marketing myself, putting myself out there on just one app, it's overwhelming," Portalupi said.
After only four months on the platform, Portalupi has accumulated 1.7 million likes and almost 180,000 followers. He attributes 90% of his art sales to TikTok now. His customers come from all over the globe, including the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.
TikTok has grown increasingly popular since the pandemic began, in part because of the platform's community of users. Portalupi said the TikTok world has become like a family to him. There's a lot of support and interaction with users on the app; Portalupi has actually met and become friends with some of his followers.
After posting a heart design he created, inspired by his friend, he began receiving requests for similar designs from people who shared their own heartfelt stories, including one about suicide.
It's a level of trust Portalupi doesn't take lightly. Next month, he will be working on a piece made from the ashes of a client's family member.
Because of Portalupi's growing platform on TikTok, he soon needed to source more materials. The search that led him to meet a fellow fluid artist, Victorian Wynn, who runs Wynn Modern Art out of Utah. Their working relationship has since blossomed into a friendship, another perk of his newfound TikTok fame.
Portalupi is now a brand ambassador for Wynn Modern Art, meaning he mentions when he uses Wynn Modern Art products in his videos and is sent products to try.
The two have found a safe space with each other to talk about their art and encourage one another. They understand each other's "flow state," where nothing else matters but painting.
"At this point, I'm sending product because I like [him] as a human. We're way beyond brand ambassador," Wynn said. "Both he and I, we have a lot of trust and mutual respect for one another."
Meeting in the shadow of a pandemic and living in different states, the two have never met face to face. But they perform business meetings over Zoom and check up on each other over the phone.
Federico Portalupi meets with Victoria Wynn over video.(Courtesy of Victoria Wynn)
Portalupi hopes to build on his career as an artist, one that he believes can grow even more thanks to TikTok and its community of users.
"I feel like I've identified an opportunity, one that I'm willing to take a risk on and go after," he said.
More Viral TikTok Content:
- Austin teens facing expulsion petition due to racist video - austonia ›
- TikTok to hire hundreds in Austin despite executive order - austonia ›
- Austin TikTok jobs put in jeopardy due to executive order - austonia ›
- Austin painter Mickey Mayfield remembered by HONY - austonia ›
- The Blanton museum announced a sprawling $35 million upgrade - austonia ›
- How Austin's Adrian Whipp is reviving tintype photography - austonia ›
- Austin-based artist Angry Cloud is 'taking back the streets' - austonia ›
- Austin baker sells out in minutes after his Tiktoks go viral - austonia ›
- Austin students trash restrooms as part of new TikTok trend - austonia ›
- School districts threaten felony over TikTok challenge - austonia ›
- 'Visual music of murals': Upcoming book showcases 100+ local artists from the street art sphere - austonia ›
- TikTok to move into downtown Austin skyscraper - austonia ›
- Meet the artists of 2022's first FotoHouse Artist-in-Residency - austonia ›
- California comedian Trevor Wallace makes fun of Austin in viral TikTok - austonia ›
Popular
Samsung could be adding to its presence in Northeast Austin, according to an Austin Business Journal report.
Samsung might soon be making more moves in the Austin metro.
The tech giant, which made waves as it announced plans to build a $17 billion chip plant in Taylor in late 2021, might be looking to expand in the Northeast Austin area, according to an Austin Business Journal report.
ABJ said the South Korean company is seeking more tax breaks from nearby Taylor and Manor school districts. The company filed documents requesting Chapter 313 incentives related to the breaks Saturday, and ABJ said each district will review the requests separately on Tuesday.
"While we do not have specific plans to build at this time, the Chapter 313 application process is part of our long-term planning to evaluate the viability of potentially building additional fabrication plants in the U.S.," Samsung Austin Semiconductor LLC.'s director of communications, Michele Glaze, told the ABJ.
But Samsung has made headlines for more than just the $17 billion plant: In early 2022, the company caught heat for two separate spills of millions of gallons of wastewater into tributaries near its semiconductor plant.
While no expansion is promised, ABJ speculates that expansions could occur at the 1,200 acre planned Taylor factory or near the chipmaking factory on Austin's East Parmer Lane. Both expansions could bring even more revenue and job opportunities to Samsung's Texas home.
- Micron may bring chipmaking plant to Central Texas - austonia ›
- Austin's semiconductor industry could help address global chip ... ›
- Samsung is considering building a $10B chip plant in Austin - austonia ›
- Taylor, Texas chosen as new site of Samsung chip-making facility ... ›
- Central Texas sees record job growth fueled by Samsung, Tesla ... ›
- Sulfuric acid waste spills at Samsung then into nearby creek - austonia ›
- Samsung chooses Austin-outskirt Taylor for $17 billion chip plant ... ›
- Creek near Northeast Samsung plant hit with more waste - austonia ›
Austin FC earned a last-minute 2-2 draw against Orlando City SC at Q2 Stadium Sunday night. (Austin FC/Twitter)
A first minute error gave Austin FC an early setback, but with the help of two red cards and two second-half goals, the Verde and Black still forced a last-minute tie in a messy home battle against Orlando City SC Sunday night.
With the 2-2 draw, Austin dropped from No. 1 in the MLS West conference but still earned a point in the standings thanks to a penalty kick goal from Sebastian Driussi and a breakthrough shot from striker Moussa Djitte, who scored his first goal with the club in the final minute of play.
Here are the top three takeaways from the match:
A fateful mistake
Pouncing on the early chances 🔥 #DaleMiAmor | #VamosOrlandopic.twitter.com/RDn1w7NCHM
— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) May 23, 2022
Just days after his highlight reel-worthy LAFC performance, Austin keeper Brad Stuver scratched heads as he gave away a goal seconds into the game. Stuver's fateful pass went straight to Orlando's Junior Urco, who was already in the box and tapped a quick pass to Ercan Kara to score the first goal of the match.
The mistake forced Austin to chase a tie for the rest of the match, especially as center back Ruben Gabrielsen benched himself in the 20th minute. The team later said Gabrielsen has come down with something similar to a stomach bug.
Orlando would score two minutes later, and Austin FC left the first half looking like the opposite of its "Best in the MLS" self from just days prior.
The two red cards
Sebastián Driussi right down the middle.
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 23, 2022
His 8th goal of the season cuts the lead in half for @AustinFC. pic.twitter.com/4sGccamVg3
By the 60th minute of the match, however, the tides had turned. Orlando's Rodrigo Schlegel, who had already racked up a yellow card on a handball, was ousted from the game two minutes later for yet another handball, this time in the penalty box.
Austin's main man Sebastian Driussi took the kick and sent it in for his eighth goal of the season to make it 2-1.
And just over five minutes later, Orlando's Cesar Araujo was the second man in purple kicked out of the match after he kicked Alex Ring on a slide tackle near the box. Austin was left with just over 20 minutes, and just nine opponents left, to try and tie it up.
The 'Mouss' is loose!
Moussa Djitté STOPPAGE TIME EQUALIZER for @AustinFC! 😱 pic.twitter.com/db7iQwff6Q
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 23, 2022
As the whistle blew and regulation time ran out, Orlando seemed to have won the match. The team had withstood many, many close calls—including two shots off the post from Austin FC's Diego Fagundez and Maxi Urruti—as Austin FC flooded the box with 22 cracks at a goal.
But thanks to the chaotic nature of the game, Austin FC was given nine extra minutes to tie it up. Moussa Djitte was the one who finally broke through five minutes into stoppage time, earning his first goal in Verde to put a 2-2 cap on the wild home match.
- Dominguez, summer heat shrouds Austin FC in 1-0 LA Galaxy loss ... ›
- Austin FC is No. 1! Austin takes home MLS West title in 2-1 LAFC ... ›
- Masks, Meh-teh and a miracle chicken: Meet the 'cryptids' of Austin FC ›
- Austin FC's Q2 Stadium is the biggest party in Austin - austonia ›
- Meet Austin FC's millionaires and more salary data - austonia ›