Denver Life

Jason Heller says he’s been a jack-of-all-trades—blue-collar warehouse worker, a record-store clerk, an itinerant musician and a drunkard.

Have paintbrush, will travel — over his career, Kevin Sloan moved around. A lot. But for now, he’s settled in Denver, spinning elegant canvases drenched in allegory and magical popsurrealism, many of them based in a natural world changed by human history.

You had a week to recover from your weekend workouts, Denver warriors, and now it’s time to get back on the mat and back on the meal planning.

Native Denverite Josiah Lee Lopez, aka the muralist ZEPOL, grew up on the streets and and in the back alleys, with roots as a talented graffiti writer whose work — still executed on walls, though now more often with permission — has evolved with the times.

Painter Craig Marshall Smith was born in Flint, Michigan during the Truman administration. He attended UCLA, and then taught drawing at three universities in three states for over thirty years. His opinion columns appear in a number of metro-Denver weekly newspapers.

Destiny Acuna designed an outfit for the first lady of top Dawg Entertainment, SZA, a five-time Grammy-nominated R&B singer.

Denver native and artist Carlos Frésquez’s people came from the centuries-old Mexican borderland culture of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico, but he experienced his roots from a city boy’s cross-cultural perspective.

The best choreographers are pioneers in space, intellectually binding movement and ideas in a singular sweep through time. It takes a dynamic, malleable mind to do that, while staying just ahead of trends in the outer reaches of the dance universe. Kate Speer — a consummate collaborationist, recent PlatteForum resident and a member of RedLine’s newest class of artist/residents — has got that down

2018 looks like it’s going to be a stellar year for nerds of all stripes. Here are eleven of the best events.

It’s a week into 2018, and it’s time to test those New Year’s resolutions. Did you commit to get fit? Check out these free and cheap weekend workouts around the metro area this weekend to help get yourself motivated.

Musa Bailey galvanized an old-school spirit in rapidly gentrifying RiNo with music, style, spins and street art as the creative wing and artist liaison of the Cold Crush ownership — and hopes to continue that work when the legendary hip-hop club safely lands in a new location.

The new year is here, bringing new ideas, new trends and new reasons to look your best. Here are the ten best fashion events for Denver in January 2018.

Yoga mania has swept Denver. You can do yoga on New Year’s Eve, yoga on New Year’s Day, yoga with goats, yoga with pot, yoga to a Bassnectar soundtrack. And now you can even do it naked, with Yogi Roo at Release Studio. But that’s where some yoga enthusiasts draw the line.

It’s been a fascinating time in Denver theater, a time of ferment, renewal, excitement, hope and loss. And through it all, the community has continued to produce first-rate art. Here are some of the noteworthy trends in 2017, as well as my picks for the best theatrical achievements of the year.

Before you make your official New Year’s resolutions — and before signing up for any gym memberships — take advantage of this weekend’s workout and wellness deals in Denver.

Denver models often follow several career paths…not just to make a living, but also to explore all of their interests. Lauren Delucca is a professional bikini competitor who competed in last month’s Ms. Bikini America competition in Las Vegas. She won. We stopped to chat with her about her whimsical, feather-fringed look and what inspires her exotic sense of style.

The holidays are officially upon us, as are the undue stress and anxiety of not ordering from Amazon Prime in time for a guaranteed Christmas Day delivery. Use this weekend to reset and re-energize before heading into the chaos that is last-minute holiday shoppers.

When it comes to inclusivity in Denver’s fitness scene, L.A. Jennings is leading the charge. The co-owner of the MMA gym Train. Fight. Win. believes in creating a safe space for everyone, and she’s starting a class aimed at women, trans-, femme- and non-binary people.

Haven’t started shopping? Not to worry: Today you can knock several people off your list just by heading to Civic Center Park for lunch. And that’s just the beginning of the arty options left in Denver; here are six spots that can satisfy all your gift-giving needs over the next few days.

Propelled by punk yet inspired by the Beats, Zack Kopp is no stranger to Denver’s underground spoken-word scene, having participated as a host and performer throughout the ’90s. He’s gone on to write and publish his own works in more recent years, including a local-history tome on Beat icon Neal Cassady’s Denver roots.

Take a break from the stress of the holidays and ease into the weekend with plenty of yoga and relaxation. Choose from workouts that will either restore your mind or give you a full-body workout. Slip into some yoga pants and find your inner zen.