The mesmerizing public art of Douglas Panzone
Story & Photos by Joan Perry | Contributing Writer
I delivered my aging but trusty vehicle into Bobby’s dependable hands at the Avondale Firestone and headed out for my walk while I waited, looping to catch the progress of the new mural on the long side of the former DB’s Cheesesteaks.
It was my lucky day and I caught the artist in action. I admit to having a minor giddy fan girl moment when I realized that underneath the green hoodie, protective respirator and goggles I was meeting artist Douglas Panzone.
Some of you may remember, years ago there was an incredible display of murals on Folly Road. I regularly convinced friends to detour to the back of the abandoned shopping center to see them anytime I headed to the beach. I got a skeptical look from Sister Rosie, the nun managing the Pastoral Care program at Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital, when I gave her directions, “Watch for the broken glass, don’t go at night …”
He won her over. We posed with the striking figures with the huge soulful eyes and the giant tiger, and revisited frequently.
Douglas Panzone is a man of few words, but expresses himself eloquently with a can of paint and a brush, brightening the Lowcountry. He is just as gifted with geometric shapes and designs as realistic facial details. Look closely for the easy to miss details of birds, flowers and lizards.
I have stored albums of mural photos collected over the years, but I hadn’t linked his name as the artist behind some of the works, including that of Samuel Jackson from Pulp Fiction biting into his “tasty burger” behind Big Gun Burger Shop downtown, the bird mural at The Sparrow in Park Circle, Cap’t Bert on Bert’s Market on Folly Beach and Willy Wonka at Tin Roof in West Ashley. I haven’t seen the ones at the College of Charleston yet.
Is it still a thing to award citizens with a Key to the City? Give this man a Key to the Holy City for the gift of artistic inspiration he has shared with our town.
Originally from Jackson, MS, Douglas came to Charleston as an Art Major at the College of Charleston in 1999. He started as a teenager doing graffiti, and is now in demand as a large-scale mural artist with a trail of work all over the country. All over the country, but mostly here. For us. For me.
The current mural is a promo for the fourth and final season of the locally filmed Righteous Gemstones satire series. He has portrayed each season with a different eye-catching mural, a gift to our traffic congested Savannah Highway drive. His connection with the HBO series started in 2017 with a mural commissioned by HBO for Vice Principals, Danny McBride’s earlier series filmed on location in North Charleston.
I asked about favorites, because I have my own favorites of his work. “I try not to get attached to them, because I know they are temporary.” So, I’m glad I took pictures. To this day, there is a trail of social media images with the question, “Does anyone know where this is?” Many of them are gone, but luckily I know where they were.
See more of Douglas Panzone’s work at: douglaspanzone.com/home.html or on Instagram at: @panzone_art.
Stay healthy my friends and wave at me as I wander. Send ideas for upcoming columns to: westashleywanderer@gmail.com.
