Federales — Denver, CO

STEP RIGHT UP —  a carnivalesque-inspired mural at Federales Denver, giving face to the circus of life.  


My long-standing relationship with the Federales restaurant chain directly stems from the EN MASSE project, involving collaborations in four venues across the United States.

However, this project was unique, set amid a global pandemic chaos that many readers are likely familiar with. It is a period of time that may come to earn the colloquially earn the title of “The Greatest Shit Show on Planet Earth.” Ever.

Saying so, with tongue only slightly in cheek, aligns neatly with a concept of the ‘carnivalesque’ popularized by Mikhail Bakhtin. 



THE CARNIVALESQUE 

The cultural phenomenon of the carnival playfully and subversively challenges traditional ideologies. It is often associated with celebrating revelry, excess, and the temporary suspension of social norms.

The carnivalesque involves an inversion of hierarchies, the blending of high and low brow cultures, and a celebration of the grotesque. 

SHADOW WORK — A CULTURAL CRITIQUE

This giant, leering black and white face is a potent form of cultural critique. Work like this is rarely gets approved by clients. Refreshingly, Federales shattered that mold, which is continues to do to the day.

Despite its seemingly simple appearance, this symbolic expression dives deep into Jungian shadow work, representing the eternal struggle between conformity and liberation, order and chaos.

It provides a cathartic outlet for collective tensions and a vehicle for cultural renewal. The face in art holds immense importance, symbolizing identity, emotion, and communication. It is central to religious and spiritual art, representing divine presence or complex inner spiritual states of human experience.



TECHNICAL CHALLENGES 

Before my arrival, the once bare concrete wall had been generously coated in an exotic and highly hydrophobic protective coating, primarily to protect the wall from ever-encroaching graffiti. Unfortunately, the acrylic paint I typically use would not work well, especially in the long term.

I love working on raw concrete surfaces, with their naturally marbled gray finish, especially when using only black paint.  The tone-on-tone effect greatly pleases my eye,  but the technique leaves very little tolerance for ‘mistakes’ or correction.  

After long research, we applied a black-tinted primer coat that allowed the production to begin, though it hid the beautiful raw concrete finish under a thin layer of coloured plastic. The question become one of how to reintroduce a level of texture and detail to the mural that would resonate with the effect achieved in previous Federales locations.  

 DRIPPING PAINT

Similar to the Crane Keeper project, I used many alternating layers of slightly off-white paint and  a very watered down black paint. This technique provided rich textural qualities and depth, well in excess of my expectations. 

The process was more time-consuming than a simple black paint drawing on a wall, but the effect was well worth the effort.



NONA NELL TRITES



A dedication to my grandmother. 

Trips to Denver, my hometown, have always been a rare treat. Each precious visit has allowed me to spend more time with this weird and wonderful woman.

This occasion was to be my last visit with her beautiful soul. I miss her company and her ever controversial conversations. However, like this giant painted face, I know her ever-sharp eyes, so quick to laughter, are looking down on this circus from somewhere cool.  

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