20-Plus Street Artists to Seek Out in RiNo

KiriLeigh Jones, a California transplant, is known for her intricate mandalas (pictured above); sometimes they stand alone, and other times the detailing fills in letters, animals, or wings. @kirileigh7

Growing up in Globeville, Anthony Garcia Sr. put up unsanctioned graffiti, but today he works to get kids involved in community-building forms of street art through his nonprofit, BirdSeed Collective. His colorful, serape-inspired work brightens everything from dumpsters in Sun Valley to the redesigned intersection of Sixth Avenue and Federal Boulevard. @birdseedanthony

A graffiti writer who got his start in Denver in the ’90s, Tuke turned to art to get through nearly 10 years in prison for drug-dealing offenses. After his release in 2016, he reconnected with the DF Crew—one of a handful of long-standing “crews,” or groups of artists who work together, in the Mile High City—and began landing commissions. He often collaborates with Emit; look for their relatively readable four-letter signatures. @tukeone, @emit_df

The founders of Like Minded Productions, Michael Ortiz and Jonathan Lamb (who also works with his wife, Lindz), began painting murals—often, colorful geometric patterns on black backgrounds—in Denver more than a decade ago. @illson, @lindzandlamb

Members of the Ladies Fancywork Society have been yarn-bombing fences, public artwork, and trees around the city since 2007. As part of last year’s fest, they installed a creature called Tina atop the Matchbox. @ladiesfancyworksociety

Meeg Conroy paints whimsical, stylized animals—most often, her signature fox—under the moniker Miss Meeg. For 2018’s CRUSH Walls, she rendered six Denver artists as critters then put QR codes on walls nearby that led viewers to recorded interviews with the subjects. @miss.meeg

Jason T. Graves, Remington Robinson, and So-Gnar Creative Division—an artist collaborative spearheaded by Pat Milbery and Pat McKinney—are responsible for the Instagram favorite “Love This City” series of murals. Vibrant hues and animals often mark So Gnar’s work, which can be found on walls, wine bottles, and even the school bus they use to tote supplies. @jastontgraves, @remingtonrobinson, @so_gnarcreativedivision

Denver muralist Patrick Kane McGregor frequently includes his late bulldog, Boug, in his works. @patrickkanemcgregor

Known for pop art–esque murals that reference hot-button issues, longtime Denver artist Scot Lefavor painted a piece in September featuring then SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford. He changed the accompanying text, “This is not justice,” to “no justice” and whitewashed Ford after Kavanaugh’s confirmation. @scotlefavor

Koko Bayer, who’s been wheatpasting in Denver since 2015, honors her grandfather—Bauhaus master and onetime Aspen resident Herbert Bayer—by using his creations, including “Bright Lips” from a 1940 Harper’s Bazaar cover, in her graphic designs, which crop up on walls, shipping containers, and doors. @kokonofilter

Chris Haven’s pyramid characters can be found all over his hometown engaging in various forms of mischief. @chrishaven

UC Sepia’s cast of female characters (whom she calls “ozjuahzians”) have an Alice In Wonderland feel, with white faces and long lashes. @ozjuahsepia

A muted color palette and bearded figures will help you identify murals by Colorado’s Jaime Molina and Pedro Barrios, aka the Worst Crew. @the.worst.crew

Using laser-cut stencils, Belgian artist Jaune (a CRUSH 2018 invitee) puts up tiny sanitation workers—climbing electrical boxes, peering into drain holes, resting against brick walls—in places they could easily be missed in an homage to his time as an overlooked public utilities employee. @jaune_art

These illicit 3D, Pepto Bismol–hued baby faces, which have been spotted across Denver and other cities, including Los Angeles, New York City, and Chicago, are rumored to be the work of local artist Yiannis Bellis and represent the suffering of Syrian children. @yiannisbellis

Thrashbird, who’s based in LA, used a stencil to pepper RiNo’s sidewalks with his iconic silhouette of a man looking down at his phone—which you’re most likely to notice if you’re, well, looking down at your phone. @thrashbird

Colorado Springs native Jeremy Burns is best known for his dual-sided “Larimer Boy/Girl,” which features his wide-eyed, cartoon-esque characters. He’s also painted three iterations of murals on Our Mutual Friend Brewing Company; try to spot the figures shaking hands that have been in every version. @jaysaybay

Conor Hollis and Amorette Lana, the duo behind Hollis+Lana, work together to create sculptural murals with spontaneous organic forms, some of which protrude from the surface of their works. @hollislana

CRUSH festival regular Mike Graves dreams up his freehand cartoonish characters—exhibit A, Chickenfish—in part to amuse his daughter. You can buy his prints and stickers through his Roane Industries website. @mikeroane

If you’ve taken the A Line to DIA, you’ve likely spied Sandra Fettingis’ geometric, stained-glass-esque designs beautifying the stations along the way. The Denverite also collaborated with Louisville’s Pearl iZumi on limited-edition men’s and women’s cycling kits this past spring. @sandrafettingis

One of a handful of longstanding crews in the Mile High City, RTD Crew is known for mixing graffiti writing with character work, as it did at 2016’s CRUSH in its popular Stranger Things–inspired alley.

(Read more about artists Thomas “Detour” Evans, Anna Charney, DINKC, and Casey Kawaguchi in our complete guide to CRUSH Walls 2019.)