Dana Coleman's art is his contribution to The Times and Democrat's 125th anniversary celebration.

The Charleston native painted the mural that graces the Broughton Street wall of the newspaper's building. The mural, The T&D's gift to the community, will be unveiled during today's anniversary celebration.

Coleman said painting the mural reminded him of why he started drawing and painting in the first place.

"When I was a child, I wanted to hang around with my older brother and his friends," Coleman said. "They were always pushing me away and telling me I was too young, so I started drawing to impress them. And it worked. They were amazed at my ability and seemed to develop a new respect for me.

"Doing this mural is similar to that for me. I've done murals out-of-doors before, but I've never had the interactive audience that I've had in Orangeburg. People driving by would call out to me and critique my work almost daily, once they figured out what I was doing. It's been great working here and having that experience. It really was like having my brother and his friends look over my shoulder as I created or re-created something."

Coleman did not think of art as his way of making a living. When he was in high school, he told an Army recruiter that he wanted to be fighter pilot. The recruiter told him there was a lot of math involved.

"I didn't really want to go through all the math he said I would have to study, so I decided to go to college," Coleman said. "I started out majoring in graphic design and then changed to engineering. I guess I didn't mind that math as much as I thought I did."

After earning his degree in engineering, before taking a job in the field, Coleman decided that art was what he really wanted to do. It became his way of chronicling the world around him.

"I see engineers in a box, and I couldn't see myself in that box." he said. "I wanted to express myself. I wanted to share my God-given gift with the world. An engineer can design a bridge, but he can't sign it. He can't put his name on it. But with my artwork, I sign every last one and anyone looking at it knows that I did it. That feels good to me."

Coleman said his commissioned works depend on the client's personality and what he or she wants.

"I find it interesting that if the client is conservative and closed off, that will be reflected in the work," he said. "And if they're outgoing and relaxed, you'll see that in the work. I try to incorporate something of the client into commissioned pieces."

For The T&D mural, Coleman chose examples of the newspaper's evolution from its founding in 1881 to the present. In one portion of the mural, he depicts the fire of 1972 that destroyed the newspaper, the most trying event in its modern history.

"I wanted to show that there has been 125 years of solid growth and change for the newspaper," Coleman said. "I think those images show that. The message is simple and clear: The T&D has been around for a while and will continue to grow and evolve for many years to come.

"This mural is one that I'm particularly proud of," he said. "You know, if you paint a portrait or a picture, it ends up in somebody's house where only a few people will probably see it.

"But this is out here for the whole world to see, or at least that portion of the world that travels Broughton Street. I like sharing my God-given gift with the world. I think that's what it's for."

T&D Staff Writer Thomas Brown can be reached by e-mail at tbrown@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5532. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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