The Best of Denver’s Vibrant Street Art
The Mile High City’s public art goes beyond commissioned installations. Here, we take a look at Denver’s most stunning murals and eye-catching street art.
There are no more than two hours of sunlight left on a Tuesday in April in Denver’s Elyria Swansea neighborhood. As the A-line carries passengers past the 38th & Blake Station away from downtown Denver, local street artist Casey Kawaguchi is perched on a ladder, hard at work. His hands and wrists are covered in paint, and a respiratory mask covers his mouth and nose. He’s in the process of giving a warehouse door a much-needed makeover.
In the nearly three hours that he’s been there, Kawaguchi has transformed a blank warehouse door into a sharp, black-and-white visage. It’s a work in progress, but soon, the finished product will become another familiar face to A-Line passengers on their daily commute. (Click through the slideshow below to see Kawaguchi working, as well as the completed mural.)
Casey Kawaguchi works on a recent piece off Blake and 39th streets, on the border between the Cole and Elyria Swansea neighborhoods. This took Kawaguchi about five hours to complete. Photograph by Mike Tish “My work is mainly in black and white,” Kawaguchi says. “There’s a focus on balancing the black and white as well as making it symmetrical.” The finished product is visible to anyone who rides the A-Line farther than the 38th and Blake Station. Photograph by Mike Tish Near Kawaguchi’s work in North Denver is this piece by @detour303—also visible from the A-Line near the 38th and Blake Station. Photograph by Mike Tish This is the work of Patrick Kane McGregor, and you can find it along Blake Street in Elryia Swansea. Photograph by Mike Tish CRUSH commissioned a slew of pieces along Blake Street in Elyria Swansea, including this one from @kwuemolly. Photograph by Mike Tish This piece from @moldybongs covers a wall outside Buffalo Exchange in Baker. Eye-catching art is becoming a more common way for businesses to attract spontaneous customers. Photograph by Mike Tish Gamma often includes #noprojector or #freehand when he shares his work to Instagram. “The whole point of street art is that it’s on the fly,” he says. Such was the case for this gem outside of Certified Customs in Baker. Photograph by Mike Tish This mural outside Metropolis Coffee in Baker promotes growing together. Photograph by Mike Tish Baker’s Mutiny Information Cafe actually curates a rotating series of murals that run in the alley off Ellsworth Avenue and South Broadway. Photograph by Mike Tish This mural behind the Artwork Network in Lincoln Park will absolutely catch the eye of any passersby. By @artwork.network and @bimmer_t. Photograph by Mike Tish The 5 Foot Assassin, a.k.a. Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest, is immortalized in Lincoln Park near Olac Photography. Piece done by @jher451. Photograph by Mike Tish The Animal Wellness Center in Lincoln Park. Photograph by Mike Tish Stroll past the Animal Wellness Center in Lincoln Park and have this cat peer into your soul. Photograph by Mike Tish The Buffalo Exchange commissioned this piece from @sognarofficial in Capitol Hill. Photograph by Mike Tish This piece outside of City O’ City brightens up its Capitol Hill patio. Photograph by Mike Tish The artist @ozjuahsepia has her work up all over town, but you can find this one in the alleyway between Sassafras American Eatery and Satellite Bar in Capitol Hill. Photograph by Mike Tish This piece, by Kevin Hennessy and several other artists, was a way for the artists to memorialize those they had lost. This shot is a snippet of the whole artwork, which can be seen outside of Buffalo Exchange in Capitol Hill. Photograph by Mike Tish
Kawaguchi, along with an ever-growing community of Denver’s street artists and muralists, are bringing new life to neighborhoods all over the Mile High City. Stroll through RiNo, Baker, Lincoln Park, or Capitol Hill and you might just leave with the impression that everyone in this town carries a spray paint can or paintbrush in their back pocket.
The art typically comes to fruition because an artist has contacted a business or property owner to get permission to re-envision a wall, or because a business or organization commissions a piece from one or more artists. These works might be replaced in a few months’ time by another piece of art.
Points for creativity on this alleyway piece off Colfax Avenue near Cheesman Park. Photograph by Mike Tish Wall space is a precious resource in this alleyway off Colfax Avenue near Cheesman Park. Photograph by Mike Tish Carlota Espinoza’s multi-story mural resides outside the Denver Urban Ministries in City Park West. Photograph by Mike Tish The combination of Gamma and Mike Graves makes for a memorable sight near the intersection of Williams Street and Colfax Avenue in City Park West. Photograph by Mike Tish This mural outside of Tag Burger Bar in Congress Park captures a city in the mountains. Photograph by Mike Tish This large piece covers the side wall of The Living Room, next to Torchy’s Tacos in Civic Center. Photograph by Mike Tish This is a door to Stoney’s Bar & Grill in Capitol Hill. Photograph by Mike Tish Prince, memorialized in purple outside Club Vinyl in Capitol Hill. By El Marsito, Zak Wilson, Samuel Sho Ho, and B.O.A. Design. Photograph by Mike Tish Found in the drive-thru at Hale’s Hot Chick A Latte in Hale. Photograph by Mike Tish Andrew Hoffman’s mural is behind Bellwether in Hale. Photograph by Mike Tish Mustaches are not a requirement for members at South Park Hill’s Up Gym. Photograph by Mike Tish This purple-and-pink-hued face peeks out in various spots across the Navajo Arts District in Highland. Photograph by Samantha Harris The work of Delton Demarest outside BookBar on Tennyson Street highlights favorites among readers. Photograph by Samantha Harris Instead of dealing with the crowded zoo, check out the walls of Inspyre Boutique on Tennyson Street to get your animal kingdom fix. Photograph by Samantha Harris Dogs rule the streets—and walls—of Tennyson. Photograph by Samantha Harris Trippy meets the wild west on Tennyson. Artist unknown. Photograph by Samantha Harris Get an insta-shot that will rake in the likes by sitting on this bench outside Ooh! Aah! Jewelry on Tennyson. Photograph by Samantha Harris Guerilla Garden put up this intricate piece on the walls of Burrito Giant in Berkeley. Photograph by Samantha Harris Clotheshorse Consignment Boutique brightens up Tennyson Street with this sunny mural. Photograph by Samantha Harris
One such curator is RiNo-based Creative Rituals Under Social Harmony (CRUSH). In fact, CRUSH is the organization that invited Kawaguchi, along with a few other artists, to brighten up the warehouse walls down the road from the 38th and Blake Station.
Once he gets a new gig, Kawaguchi gets to work as soon as possible. When we found him working on the piece on Blake Street, he didn’t have much in the way of equipment. Aside from the ladder, Kawaguchi had nearly a dozen spray paint cans, a paintbrush, some paint, and a water bottle—all of which fit into his reusable grocery bag.
Kawaguchi freehands all his work, which is worth noting to some in Denver’s street art community.
Gamma, a street artist who prefers we use his nom de guerre, has been working in Denver for 10 years. He’s a staunch defender that real street art is improvised, done by hand, and finished in one sitting. He believes those qualities separate street art from mural art—even though some people use the terms interchangeably. Artists who use a projector, he says, disrespect street art’s tradition. “The whole point of street art is that it’s done on the fly,” Gamma says. “But the trend now, because it’s easier and faster, is to project the art and then trace it.”
Most passersby won’t know the difference, and not all artists feel as strongly about this as Gamma does. “There is the opinion out there that using a projector is cheating,” Kawaguchi says. “But I don’t care whether an artist uses a projector or not. To each their own.”
A good message from Kurt Cobain and the @sognarofficial crew outside the Larimer Lounge in RiNo. Photograph by Mike Tish Cisco Sinatra’s Audrey Hepburn stands out among the tanned walls across from the Populist on 32nd Street. This is one of several pieces commissioned by Crush. Photograph by Mike Tish A combination of street and mural art covers most of RiNo, even in this alleyway behind Phil’s Place. Photograph by Mike Tish Welcome to the alleyway behind RiNo’s Nocturne Supper Club. Photograph by Mike Tish At the corner of 22nd and Larimer Streets in Five Points, we found one of the few Bernie Sanders murals still up post-election. Photograph by Mike Tish The parking lot between Sushi-Rama and the Denver Central Market is lined with mural art. In a particularly crowded section, this piece by RumTum stands out. Photograph by Mike Tish One of two Bugs Bunny murals we found in RiNo. This one is the more violent of the two. Photograph by Mike Tish The more relaxed Bugs Bunny piece resides in the alley behind Scott’s Burger in Five Points. Photograph by Mike Tish Layers and layers of street art build up along this brick wall across from RiNo’s D+i Creative. Photograph by Mike Tish Find this work outside Novo Coffee in Five Points. Photograph by Mike Tish The artist behind this mural outside the Denver Central Market needed a boom lift in order to reach the higher spots. Photograph by Mike Tish This small piece with a big message along Walnut Street in RiNo is easy to miss, but look for it between 32nd and 33rd streets along Walnut Street. Photograph by Mike Tish Lauren Napolitano’s complex mural of a snake, contrasted against the black background, is impossible to miss outside Bar Fausto. Photograph by Mike Tish This piece by the artist Shitty Kitten brings a garage door to life on 28th Street near Stem Ciders. Photograph by Mike Tish Catch this piece in the alleyway behind the Denver Central Market. Photograph by Mike Tish Mike Graves is known for his cartoonish artwork. Here, a man walks his fish outside of RiNo’s Crema Coffee House. Photograph by Mike Tish Chris Dyer and Jack Shure created this piece behind RiNo’s Hinterland Art Space. Photograph by Mike Tish
As the day comes to a close, Kawaguchi adds black bangs and hair, which fill the remainder of the frame. Final details such as symmetrical beauty marks, eyelashes, and his signature provide the finishing touch. He posts a shot to Instagram, titles the work “Bae Door,” and leaves it for the masses.
“I love not only that it’s public, but that with street art you can randomly walk up on a mural,” he says. “There’s something special about the impact of unexpected art.”
Curious to see more street art from the artists featured in this article? Follow these artists on Instagram.
- Kevin Hennessy, @hennessytattoo
- Casey Kawaguchi, @caseykawaguchi
- Patrick Kane McGregor, @patrickkanemcgregor
- Gamma, @gammagallery
- Molly Bounds, @moldybongs
- Thomas Evans, @detour_303
- Kwue Molly, @kwuemolly
- Mike Graves, @mikeroane
- Delton Demarest, @deltondemarest
- Guerilla Garden, @guerillagarden
- So-Gnar, @sognarofficial
- Def3, @def3
- Pat Milbery, @patmilbery
- Cisco Sinatra, @ciscosinatra
- RumTum Creations, @rumtum_creations
- Lauren Napolitcano, @peptalks
- Chris Dyer, @chris_dyer
- Jack Shure, @jack_shure
- Ozjuah, @ozjuahsepia
- Andrew Hoffman, @andrewhoffman84
- Jher451, @jher451
- Artwork Network, @artwork.network
