Douglas Piper never pictured himself as a professional artist.
“I loved art but didn’t think I was good enough to create full-time,” he says, standing in his Art Crossing Greenville studio. “When I got offered this space, there was a lot of uncertainty.”
Signs that he was on the right path came that same week through two first-time requests for murals and his acceptance into a juried art show. He’s now known for the striking linoleum and woodcut prints he exhibits in shows and sells at local and regional art festivals.
Often printed on old maps and book pages to add “an extra layer of depth and nostalgia,” the prints celebrate a life lived outside: roasting s’mores over a campfire, canoeing along a mountain stream, and even backyard bird-watching. Piper hopes they prompt viewers to have new adventures or spur memories of past experiences.
“The outdoors has always been a huge component of my life,” says the Greenville native, who spent his childhood “adventuring wherever I could.”
He rode bikes through his neighborhood, explored waterways, hiked during weekends at his grandparents’ mountain home, and camped in Colorado with the Christian nonprofit Young Life. He and his wife, multidisciplinary artist Meredith Piper, now explore area parks and trails with their adopted 1-year-old daughter and dogs whenever possible.
“When you’re outside, it’s humbling—you feel a little smaller. And for me, it’s a refocusing on God and how he created all this for us,” says Piper, who photographs or sketches inspiring views or familiar landscapes like the Liberty Bridge. “I love to reference places, but I don’t want [the prints] to be an exact replica,” he adds.
Creating in Greenville
Piper grew up carving and whittling wood with his late grandfather, an avid woodworker and creativity champion. He explored printmaking in high school but stopped his artistic pursuits while earning a bachelor’s degree in packaging science at Clemson University. After graduating in 2009, he moved to Louisiana for a staff position with Young Life. There, he met Meredith and took up linoleum printmaking again to spend more time with her.
“She was teaching and creating artwork. And it just brought something out in me. I thought, ‘Oh, I miss doing this,’” he says, adding that simultaneously inheriting some of his grandfather’s carving tools and the wooden spoons he frequently made was a further motivation.
The couple often visited Piper’s family in Greenville and imagined the possibility of living and creating here. That opportunity finally came in 2016 when Meredith got word of an available Art Crossing Greenville studio. Piper created prints there part-time for 18 months until he got an open studio two doors down and pivoted to a full-time art career.
He still uses some of his grandfather’s tools for carving designs; the spoons are integral to his unique printing process. Instead of using a printing press, he runs a spoon over “every square inch” of blank paper placed atop an inked block. He then pulls the paper up to see the result.
“Each print will look pretty similar, but there will be different nuances because of how hard I’ve pressed in certain areas,” says Piper, who first tries to make each design “successful as a single color. Then, if [more] color is needed, I’ll creatively add that in.”
While labor-intensive, the hands-on process lends itself to large-scale works like the ones in Piper’s ongoing narrative series inspired by his artistic journey. The sun-filled skies, cloudy valleys, and mountain peaks speak to appreciating the highs and pushing through the lows encountered along the way.
“Everything I create typically is what’s going on right now in my life,” says Piper, who’s pulling back from some spring festivals while the couple’s Hurricane Helene-damaged home is reconstructed. “I want to be very honest with what I create, hoping that through that honesty and openness, people can see my journey, which hopefully can reflect their journeys.”
Douglas Piper Creates Accessible Art
Having a studio along a frequently traveled part of the Swamp Rabbit Trail in downtown Greenville motivated Piper to create art with various price points.
He also has a line of stickers, screen-printed shirts and tea towels, and embroidered hats that feature a digitized version of an original block print. “I want anybody to walk by, and if they are drawn to my work, be able to get something,” he says. REI Greenville also carries his apparel and home goods.
Get Outside
Piper hopes his artwork inspires people to embark on adventures and make their own memories. He recommends using the AllTrails app for hiking and mountain biking trails and loves exploring these two favorite places:
- Conestee Nature Preserve – “We go all the time and bring the dogs,” he says. “I think that’s one of the most underrated parks, and it’s easy to get to. They have these cool lookouts over the wetlands in different parts, and during different seasons, you can see different animals, birds, and vegetation in bloom.” 840 Mauldin Rd., Greenville, conesteepreserve.org
- Paris Mountain State Park – Piper loves Paris Mountain for its “middle of nowhere” feeling despite its short distance from Greenville. “There’s some great hiking, and if you like mountain biking, there are a few trails for that,” he says. 2401 State Park Rd., Greenville, southcarolinaparks.com/paris-mountain
To see more of Piper’s artwork, visit douglaspiperart.com, follow @douglaspiperarts on Instagram, or stop in Studio 106 at Art Crossing Greenville (300 River St.). Studio hours are Tues.–Sat. from 11a.m.–5p.m., unless Piper is at a festival or market. For a guaranteed appointment, email douglaspiperart@gmail.com.
