Denver Logo

Having grown up in Denver, in the shadow of the Colorado Rockies, I did not have to search far for inspiration for this piece -- it was already stored up in me.

I wanted convey in the composition the rugged beauty of Colorado. The Bison seemed the perfect icon as the city of Denver owns two bison herds. The large, sloping back of the bison I thought worked well to articulate the high peaks of the Rocky Mountains while the skyline of Denver filled in the negative space between it’s front and hind legs. The mighty buffalo’s neck is enwreathed with the “D” and ornamented with columbines, Colorado’s state flower.

The Indian arrow, which crosses through the middle of DENVER speaks to the many tribes that used to travel the Colorado front range, following the bison herds. Finally, the whip of the tail becomes the ligature of the “R” as the final compositional blend of the buffalo, our city, and the name she bears.

I hope this piece serves as an inspiration and a source of Colorado pride to the Denverites here in the Mile High city!

Original executed using a dip pen and hand-ground ink on fine art paper.

Limited Edition of 150.