Renowned artist captures South MS sea and sky on a giant canvas at new Coast business

He’s known internationally for his colorful and dynamic murals and Douglas “Hoxxoh” Hoekzema is spending two weeks in South Mississippi creating a massive centerpiece for OS 1515 and downtown Ocean Springs.

Glimpses of his three-story mural, which blankets the entire south facing wall of the parking garage, are seen in the gaps between buildings at OS 1515. The mixed-use development, with a 32-room boutique hotel, luxury lofts, restaurants, shops and event venues, is under construction on Government Street in Ocean Springs.

Coast developers John Oropesa and Jim Hardin are working toward a February opening.

Ocean Springs is known locally and throughout the Southeast as an art town. The prominence of Hoxxoh and his work, coupled with additional art being incorporated into this new development, will raise the town’s renown and draw art lovers from across the country, the developers say.

The mural basically disguises the parking garage, but it does more. It will become the backdrop of the spacious courtyard, where performances will be staged and the community and hotel guests will mingle to admire the vibrant colors and design of the painting.

Hoxxoh has developed a unique and recognizable style, “blending rhythm, repetition, vibrant colors and intricate patterns,” according to his website. A Miami-based artist, his work is exhibited internationally in galleries and public spaces, including murals in Miami, Paris, and New York. His last mural was in Cincinnati, Ohio, he said, and his next will be in Chicago. Ocean Springs is the 11th in a series, he said.

Ocean Springs’ mural

For Ocean Springs, Hoxxoh worked with the developers to create an abstract design that would reflect the natural beauty of the area.

“This is a mural based on paintings I made in my studio,” he said. “I’m inspired by the colors and the environment of this region, which is a lot like where I’m from in South Florida. The palettes are kind of like these aquatic colors and like Sargassum seaweed, kind of beach vibes, and loosely inspired by Walter Anderson paintings, like his color palette.”

While it’s abstract, there are moments when people will find a seashell in one section, a loose dolphin in another and get the feeling of the islands off the Coast and the ocean vibes, he said, similar to images in clouds.

Three normal size paintings he made in his studio are being transferred onto the huge mural in Ocean Springs by a team of artists, including Mike Suarez and Carlos Fernandez of Miami, Eddie Rivera from Tampa and Niko Cook from Ocean Springs.

The mural and the opportunity to join the team spray painting the mural is “bigger than life,” said Cook, 38, who is a bartender and a locally known artist.

“Getting to meet Hoxxoh is just a pleasure all in itself,” said Cook, who’s never worked on anything on this scale before. “I probably never will again,” he said.

The team Hoxxoh assembles is made up of graffiti artists and he calls the murals he creates “paint puzzles for my graffiti friends.”

He said, “I have roots in graffiti. I grew up in graffiti.” The urge comes out every now and again, he said, and he he will paint a train. “I really like painting freight trains. And that, I guess, is like the last connection to my graffiti roots. That’s a whole culture in its own. it’s like a moving gallery, painting trains. I paint in Miami, and they end up all the way in Montana, North Dakota.”

More art to come to OS 1515

The Ocean Springs mural is by far the largest yet not the only art that will distinguish OS 1515 as an art forward destination.

“Having the opportunity to bring Hoxxoh to our destination for a piece of permanent artwork of this scale is quite a triumph for our creative community,” Hardin said.

The developers are collaborating with Ocean Springs art gallery The Pink Rooster to include the work of artist with ties to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in at OS 1515.

“Each of our 32 guestrooms will feature one artist’s unique works,” Oropesa said, and local art also will be displayed in The Gallery, the event space at the hotel. Among the featured artists are Curtis Jaunsen, Billy Solitario, Bruce Seabolt, and Sandra Halat.

A community centerpiece

OS 1515 was deliberately designed, down to the choice of brick as the primary building material for permanence and to reflect the community, the developers said.

Hardin and Oropesa bought the vacant land in 2018. The design of the buildings reflects the way the city has is growing from west to east, they said. The western building has old French Quarter architecture, and will have shops on the lower floor and condos above, plus a spa, salon and fitness room.

The center building is more warehouse style. Crave food hall fills the ground floor with a coffee shop and eight chef inspired food stations, five of which are already rented. The food hall looks out at the mural, with more condos above. Those facing Government Street and the parade route sold first. and only a handful are still available.

The third, contemporary building will house a fine dining restaurant and The Gallery event space, which can seat 120 with reception tables and 200 with classroom-style seating. The hotel rooms above have views of Government Street or the courtyard and mural..

People in the community will be welcome to use the amenities without staying at the hotel. The city will operate the parking garage, the developers said, with the first of the three floors reserved for hotel and condo guests.