Photo courtesy of Derek Donnelly
A new mural on Stormrunners Tavern has Gulfport talking. St. Petersburg artist Derek Donnelly reflected on the city’s resilience after Hurricanes Helene and Milton to create “Guardian of Gulfport.”
The mural features the image of the mythological God of the sea, Neptune or Poseidon, depending on Roman or Greek mythology. Donnelly masterfully rendered him in the style of classical sculpture. The underwater scene also depicts coral, fish, and sharks.
“Guardian of Gulfport” on Stormrunners: The Talk of the Town
Donnelly painted the mural over the course of a week and said that people came by to comment on it very frequently. In the course of five minutes, three people came by, remarking on how much it means to the community.
It’s meant to be a “symbol of hope and resilience for the people of Gulfport and all the coastal communities that we live in,” Donnelly said.
Stormrunners Tavern had its fair share of mural drama with the company that painted the other murals on the building. Donnelly wasn’t involved with that project (which is clear, stylistically) but was originally hired to repaint some interior murals that were damaged in the storms.
When he saw the blank exterior wall, he pitched giving it a mural ahead of Stormrunners Tavern’s reopening. He and owner Dave Burton planned the design.
Arts All Around!
The Gabber Newspaper covers live theater and art across South Pinellas. And, when we find something worth the drive, we cover art in the Tampa Bay and Sarasota areas.
Ode to Gulfport
Despite having murals throughout St. Pete and Pinellas Park, but “Guardian of Gulfport” is his first in Gulfport. Hopefully, it won’t be his last.
Donnelly has been finding Gulfport to be friendly and charming, with a sense of community that he said is unparalleled.
He wrote a poem to accompany the mural that also honors the city:
Beneath the waves where silence sings,
A crowned titan watches, forged in storm and salt.
His gaze holds the memory of winds that howled,
Of waters that rose to test the heart of a city.
But Gulfport did not break — it bent like seagrass, rooted deep
The hurricanes of 2024 carved their mark,
Yet from the ruin, resilience bloomed.
He stands for them now — not as myth, but as memory,
A reminder that even the ocean cannot drown
The spirit of a steadfast shore.
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