Mario, Lugi and Daffy Duck Run Wild in Deep Ellum: Dallas’ Most Eclectic Neighborhood Gets Even More Art Quirky

If you’ve taken a stroll through Deep Ellum lately, you may have noticed some familiar characters in unusual situations. Porky Pig and Daffy Duck can be seen riding in a convertible on Main Street, having a major Fear and Loathing moment. Meanwhile, Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach are channeling Ferris Bueller’s Day Off on Elm Street.

The cheeky images are part of an ambitious new project from local artists Preston Pannek and Adrienne Creasey of House of Pannek. The couple and creative duo has been busy painting the town as they’ve donated 10 free murals to Deep Ellum in an effort to bolster public art in the neighborhood.

“The small picture of what I want to bring is more murals to Deep Ellum,” Pannek says in a statement. “Our larger goal is to make Deep Ellum the most concentrated location for murals per square mile in the U.S. and create new opportunities for local artists’ work to be seen.”

The couple is leading the way for a colorful takeover of Deep Ellum with 10 murals, each inspired by pop culture icons. There’s an image of Betty Boop as ‘60s supermodel Twiggy, a Pulp Fiction parody titled “Deep Fiction,” a psychedelic portrait of Daffy Duck as the protagonist of A Clockwork Orange, and more.

To celebrate the completion of all 10 murals, House of Pannek kicked off a large-scale art show at Deep Ellum Art Co. on Friday. The show, which features works from Pannek, Creasey, Isaac Davies, and others, will be on view through Thursday, May 17.

But this is only the beginning of Deep Ellum’s mural madness; House of Pannek is launching Paint Deep Ellum as a continuation of the 10 Murals project. Creasey and Pannek have invited 10 local artists to create the next 10 murals. They hope that this will create financial opportunities for artists as well as enriching the neighborhood.

The start date for Paint Deep Ellum will be announced in coming weeks.