Present day Downtown Denver lies where Denver City was originally founded in 1858 as a gold mining settlement. Instead of being drawn by the promise of material wealth, I was lured to this urban center to immerse myself in humanity and modern civilization. Living in Boulder, about a 45-minute drive away, at times, I often found myself hesitant to create work in the streets of my own town and often looked elsewhere.

Since 2021, I've consistently journeyed Downtown aiming to experience a vivid urban reality on the streets with my digital camera. Geographically, Colorado is largely a rural state filled with mountains, desert, and grassy plains and in most areas, one can easily see vast swaths of blue sky stretching to the horizon. I was addicted to urban density, dropping into the maze of concrete illuminated by the golden high-altitude sunlight casting a theatrical glow over the streets. A diverse cast from a multitude of backgrounds navigated the grid of streets below in a form of organized chaos.

While nature often provides a sense of tranquility and rejuvenation, I questioned whether the urban intensity of Downtown Denver would deplete my energy.   On the contrary, exposing myself to a greater range of humanity and sociological depth fed my energy and heightened my senses.  As a bi-racial person, on some level it was comforting to engage with others like me, not just because of their darker appearance, but because of the dominant cultural homogeneity found in my daily life. 

Images are from 2021 to 2024.