2024 Art Battle at Boulder Creek Fest Lineup

Uc Sepia @ozjuahsepia

Uc Sepia is an artist and graffiti muralist. She has been painting for more than 20 years with over 300 murals in the Denver area. Uc Sepia paints whimsical female characters with white opalescent faces, pink puffs around their eyes, castles and teapots on their heads, and colorful clothing. These characters are queens, princesses, warriors, and guardians. She loves to tell stories through her artwork, expressing ideas of love, hope, happiness, and all the challenges people face in a beautiful way. 

Rachel Crosby @leannaraesart

Rachel Crosby, the artist behind Leanna Rae's Art, is a multidisciplinary artist specializing in portraits and illustrations, working with acrylic, oil paint, and mixed media. Rachel strives to create art and educate the younger generation in hopes that they can see and appreciate themselves in our world. Rachel lives and works in Denver, Colorado, and continues to flourish as an artist and an inspiration for up-and-coming young creatives, composing a narrative where WE are included.

Pher01 @pher01

Pher01 has been creating outdoor murals in Colorado for more than ten years. He is passionate about community and events that spark conversation and creative stimuli. Pher01 believes that artistic expression can heal and plays an important role in community growth and conversation.

Nems @artbynems

Nems is a queer Denver-based artist who specializes in realistic nature-inspired paintings. Her work often incorporates resin layers throughout paint to create depth and shadows within the piece. Nems loves the challenge of painting realistically and learning how to use different art mediums such as acrylic, spray paint, and oil paint. She frequently turns her original paintings into wearable merch items to offer her art to wider audiences! Nems is currently working out of Walnut Workshop in the RiNo Arts District.

Kirstie Connon @kirstie.connon.art

Kirstie Connon is an artist living in the mountains of Colorado. She is deeply inspired by the feeling of nature, closely connected to the landscape of the Rocky Mountains. Her artwork reflects the changing of seasons and different textures found in nature, including wildflowers, snow, and expansive vistas. Kirstie’s artwork blends realism painting with a mystical approach as she infuses her work with geometry to highlight the contrast of organic natural textures with sharp symmetry. She has a deep calling to express her passion for growth and healing, integrating her paintings with the feeling of connection she explores through meditation and yoga.

Jennifer Chaparro @amazingstreetpainting

Jennifer Nichols Chaparro was born into an artistic family in Michigan. She attended UCLA, graduating with a degree in Design. She continued to pursue painting while working in advertising and raising her two daughters. In 2004, Jennifer and her daughters began participating in the Street Painting Festival in Lake Worth, Florida. In addition to chalk art, Jennifer has worked with a variety of media such as pen and ink, watercolor, acrylic, gouache, ceramics, and fiber.

Eric Pflug @_garbajio

Eric Pflug is a visual artist working his way up Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs through creative expression. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, he now calls Colorful Colorado home and draws influence from its mountains, rivers, flora, fauna, and culture. Eric experiments with the mediums of paint, clay, metal, wood, and language. His work shows great breadth; there is something for everyone in his creations. His art encompasses visionary themes through geometric patterns, organic forms, and surreal imagery. Eric uses his creative practice as a mode to foster a personal and interpersonal connection to divine, creative intuition.

Chandler Dolan @chandlerbreeart

Chandler Dolan is an artist who grew up in Denver, Colorado. She has been drawing and painting since she was a child and aims to spread joy and happiness through her work. With a versatile skill set that encompasses animation, painting, drawing, and various other mediums, she hopes to delight anyone looking at it. In a world that often feels chaotic and uncertain, Chandler seeks to be a beacon of light, offering moments of respite and joy through her whimsical creations.

"Bird" J. Hernandez @birdhere_art

"Bird" J. Hernandez is a visual artist based in Denver, Colorado. He honed his acumen for design while in California before moving to Colorado. With a focus on paintings and murals, Bird transforms canvases and urban landscapes into vibrant narratives that captivate the imagination.

3rd Version @3rdversion

Ben Patterson, a.k.a. 3rd Version, began in construction but evolved into a full-time artist with over a decade of experience across four states. 3rd Version is not just a moniker, but a reminder to continually evolve, grow, and push his limits as an artist because the next version is always better.

Meet Grow Love

Grow Love (she/they), an inspiring artist and educator from Denver, is the founder of Grow Love International and one of the creative forces behind Babe Walls. Whether it’s canvas work or large-scale mural installations, Grow Love’s artistry nourishes every space it inhabits. From intricate floral designs to portraiture, their use of vibrant colors reflects Grow Love's deep passion for creativity.

Founded in 2019, Babe Walls is a pioneering collective that offers a welcoming environment for women and non-binary individuals in the mural art scene. It serves as both a platform for established artists and a springboard for emerging talents seeking guidance on their artistic journey. By fostering collaborations between artists, Babe Walls not only showcases the diverse strengths and styles of its members but also celebrates the shared experience of femininity and the essential element of mentorship within the community.

This April, Grow Love will be hosting a 2-Day Immersive Mural Painting Workshop with Street Wise Arts. As part of their diverse educational services, this workshop is designed to guide participants through the entire process of mural creation, from initial concept development to the final installation. 

Grow Love has met with intern Christine Stadnik to share more on their story.

Stay up to date with Grow Love’s work on their Instagram and Website. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Christine Stadnik

Tell us about yourself as an artist.

Grow Love

I primarily work in the mural field, but I also do canvas work. I use spray paint and acrylic. I went to school for painting. I graduated from the University of Denver with a Fine Arts Degree in Painting and Art History. 

Spray paint became the go-to medium when I realized I wanted to start painting murals. I self-taught, I picked up things here and there from friends, but focused all of my energy to spray paint for a year. I put my brushes away and told myself that if I am going to learn this medium, I'm going to need to not go back to acrylic during that time. I'm obsessed with it, which is why I teach it. I think within the greater art world it is underappreciated.

My art history background inspires me to mix historical-type paintings with spray paint. I do this to share that you can do what the art masters of the past did even when utilizing this contemporary medium. This is one way in which I push myself as an artist.

I am also the founder and co-founder of Babe Walls. It’s been such a lifelong dream come true to have a community that really values and respects each other. It's inclusivity, it's a family, it's a sisterhood. I think it's one of those rare things that you can find in this life that we all collectively created together. I think collaboration is key to pushing yourself, your abilities, and the way you think. It creates a very vibrant and inspiring life to do that.

Christine Stadnik

Where did the name Grow Love originate from? 

Grow Love

When I was diving into mural art, I knew I wanted to have a moniker, just like a lot of performers or writers have pseudonyms. I felt the need to do that to be able to distinguish my childlike self from my adult, working, and professional self. I wanted to have that healthy separation.

The time in which I was trying to come up with that moniker was really difficult. There was a lot of very dark, painful stuff that I was managing. I wanted something that would be transformative, a name that transmuted all of that pain. That is where Grow Love came from. My name is my beacon, my mission, and a prayer when people say it.

Christine Stadnik

Can you talk more about your experience with arts and education?

Grow Love

I was one of those kids in school who naturally had a knack for art and drawing. I also had incredible resources. My mom was a graphic designer, my dad a photographer, my grandfather a photographer, and both my grandmothers were artists in their own right whether it was painting, drawing, sculpting, quilt making, or dressmaking. Creativity was around me a lot growing up.

Having people who are artists outside of my family, usually my teachers in school, changed me. It also changed my confidence to see myself as an artist.

My high school art teachers were phenomenal. I went to Golden High School, which had a vast arts program. 

I've been teaching art for a long time. I've taught many people how to oil paint before I got into mural work. I always loved being able to share knowledge. When I taught myself how to spray paint, which was so hard, it helped me realize I also wanted to teach it. In the world where spray paint comes [from], graffiti and street art, I experienced the knowledge being very gatekept. I took it upon myself to start teaching, and because people want to learn. We are in a renaissance of mural making and public art.

Christine Stadnik

Are there any upcoming projects that you would like to share?

Grow Love

This time of year, at least February, March, April, are usually proposals and planning stages. I can't tell you how many solo proposals that I've personally sent out. 

But I've also sent out proposals with my team. I have a team called Tri Flora with Katie Casper and Talia Schwartz. We've been applying for bigger and bigger jobs. We found that when we apply as a team, we have better chances of getting those opportunities, and when we apply individually. There is a bias with female artists a lot of the time that we're somehow not capable. We've been applying for a ton of work; within the next couple of months we'll be finding out whether we got those jobs and then just squaring away our schedules. This is the calm before the storm.

Once April and May hit, it’s six months of pure mayhem. It's extremely all-encompassing. Something I've been working on is trying to manage burnout. Typically, I'm making a mural a week during the summertime or every other week or so.  During this, I still have to run my business, do proposals and plan things. It can get really crazy. 

Christine Stadnik

Is there anything else that you'd like to share that we haven't covered? 

Grow Love

I have an upcoming collection of work I'm making for Cirrus. Cirrus is a social Cannabis Consumption Club opening in Denver at the end of 2024. Arend Richard, the founder of Cirrus, had this realization that if you can go to the bars and clubs where they serve alcohol, why can't you do that with cannabis?

He has asked me to help him decorate his club. I'm going to do this beautiful mural on the marquee and inside there will be a collection of 14 pieces that will be available for sale as well. 

It's a huge undertaking because I have to fund this all myself. It will take months, but it is something that I'm really excited about. I signed up to be a founding member of the club because I think it’s a revolutionary idea, and I’m all about that. I don't really smoke a lot of weed, if at all. But I believe in this medicine and I believe in alternative spaces to alcohol consumption.

Celebrating Colorado's Black Street Artists Panel

Street Wise Arts teamed up with the Museum of Boulder for a panel discussion in honor of “Celebrating Colorado’s Black Street Artists” on Saturday, January 20, 2024.

In partnership with the Museum of Boulder, Street Wise Arts’ Fall Mural Series celebrates the exhibition “Proclaiming Colorado’s Black History” open through September 2025. The exhibition works collaboratively to preserve Colorado’s rich and complex Black histories, broadly sharing and integrating them into Colorado education. The Fall Mural Series brought new public art to walls throughout Boulder, including the Museum of Boulder. Murals feature themes of building community, Afro-Futurism, and social justice.

Panelists included our fall muralists Yazz Atmore, Rob Hill, Marcus Murray, Jahna Rae, and Devin “Speaks” Urioste. Moe Gram moderated the discussion. Panelists described their murals from the fall series, and how social justice shows up in their lives and artistic practices. The artists also situated their journeys and artwork within Colorado’s Black history, namely how joy, ancestry, and community play a major role in their stories.

Check out photos from the panel by Street Wise intern and photographer Max Brager!