New Mural Brings Life to Freshfields Village

From Hominy Grill’s whimsical “Rosie” mural to the familiar hand-painted signage for Hank’s Seafood Restaurant, you’ve no doubt seen David Boatwright’s handiwork all over Charleston. And now, his celebrated brushstrokes are on display at Freshfields Village.

A South Carolina native, Boatwright is a designer, writer, filmmaker, musician, and painter. Having painted everything from billboards to canvases during his distinguished career, he now focuses on murals.

Having had an interest in art from an early age, Boatwright began painting murals in the fourth grade and continued to do so throughout his school years. He studied architecture and designed homes years before attending the San Francisco Art Institute to master his passion for painting. His enthusiasm was so recognized at the Institute that he was awarded the Skowhegan Fellowship, a coveted honor in the world of painters.

Boatwright’s presence at Freshfields Village began several years ago when he painted the Newton Farms mural as well as the “Welcome” mural at the Kiawah Island Real Estate center and has now culminated with his latest showpiece at The Station.

“My work at Freshfields is about providing an atmosphere for passersby, but also lending a specialized human touch to make it a unique experience,” says Boatwright. 

With each of his works at Freshfields, he begins with a blank canvas and sketches for weeks, allowing creativity to flow while building up a vocabulary of images.  From there, he says, it is a matter of refinement and a process of blending the sketches until his intention is conveyed. 

“I couldn’t exactly say where the idea of an osprey heading back to the nest with food came from, but it seemed like the perfect metaphor for a stopping place to refuel and bring the goods home to the family,” Boatwright explains.

Mural painting has declined since the 1930s and ’40s, an era when it was considered more mainstream public art, but Boatwright feels that murals are a wonderfully expressive form of public communication and should be done with an air of mystery, humor, and beauty.

“We are indebted to David for his work out at Freshfields,” says Elisa Cooper, property manager at Freshfields Village. “We strive to make this a place people can call home, and each of his works adds to the experience that we want our customers to feel.”