2015 Denver County Fair art exhibit for urban farmers

Step right up, Locavores and Germinators! See Denver's most unique landmarks drawn to look like giant prize-winning, county-fair-sized vegetables!

Each neighborhood image is drawn by the illustrious Kenny Be (an art farmer of regional renown), and exhibited salon style in the I Heart Denver pavilion between the unicorn ride and the County Store.

Souvenir prints and postcards can be obtained for surprisingly affordable sums and make excellent gifts for the kitchen areas of friends and family!

Stop in to say "Hi" to the artist and swap neighborhood news.

Colorado Picture Map

The Highest State in Illustration and Design. Commissioned by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) for use as a 4 feet (high) by 7 feet (wide) backdrop in a trade show booth used to promote group travel in the state.

The Colorado Picture Map slide show above features the five of the eight different phases of the drawing, from initial sketch to final color. Each iteration of the drawing was drawn on tracing paper over the preceeding sketch. With each phase of the drawing, the landmarks were refined (And added and subtracted), and spacial issues were resolved with the streamlining of roadways and moving of mountains.

The Colorado Picture Map will be on display at the Kenny Be exhibit at the Denver County Fair on July 31, August 1 (Colorado Day!) and August 2, 2015. Colorado Picture Map Prints, greeting cards and back-to-school folders will be available for sale.

The Birth Announcement of Zip 37

The weekly Westword newspaper calendar page from May 24-30, 1995 (shown above), announced the opening of Zip 37 Gallery at 3644 Navajo Street in North Denver. The photo features the founding members, a well-behaved dog and two very patient children.

2014 Denver Neighborhood Seed Company Catalog cover from sketch to full color

The background view features Denver as seen from the north looking south – with downtown, Pikes Peak and Mile High Stadium.

The center view of the drawing features Denver's iconic restaurants packed into a make believe street scape.

The foreground rooftop patio features tabletops set with iconic Denver skyscraper salt & pepper shakers.

Signage and lamp posts have been replaced with neon-colored vegetables.

The entire drawing process (from sketch to full color) on the 2014 Denver Neighborhood Seed Company Catalog probably took about 180 hours.

2014 Denver Neighborhood Seed Company Catalog printed in Denver!

The 2014 Denver Neighborhood Seed Co. Catalog is hot off the press, and I couldn't be happier/sadder. Happy because the postcards and prints of the new neighborhood vegetable landmarks are finer than ever. Sadder because I won't have an excuse to go down to P & L Printing to hang out with Dave, Kit, Shay, Ryan, Sam, Alonso, Maryjane and Bobert (with his beautiful donuts).

In the photo above, the 2014 Denver Neighborhood Seed Co. Catalog packaged postcard portfolio is shown to the right and the opened portfolio and newest postcards shown to the left. The black and white image behind the postcards features the 2014 Seed Catalog cover line art as a silkscreen print on protective sleeves for 11x17 prints. The silkscreen work was done by Martin Hammond at Diamond Hill Screen Printing.

I want to thank all of the printers for their cool demeanor, patience and excellent work. I am thrilled that my Denver-based artwork is printed in Denver at a better price and quality that I could get by going online. All of the new prints will be on display at the 2014 Denver County Fair on August 1, 2 & 3.

The 30-postcard 2014 portfolio of the Denver Neighborhood Seed Co. Catalog will be $10.

Larger prints of my artwork start a $5.

Whittier Mustard Greens – Color Study

The top left image shown below is the Whittier Mustard Greens original scan of the inked drawing (worst mistakes were taped out and drawn over). The top right image is the inked drawing after run through the "wash" (computer clean-up). The bottom two images were saved while experimenting with different color palettes.

 Whittier neighborhood's St. Ignatius Loyola Church rendered in mustard greens.

Harvey Park Jicama Ink Drawing

Inspired by the mid-century modern "patio homes" of Clifford May found along S. Lowell Blvd. in the Harvey Park neighborhood of southwest Denver.