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Animals from every state popping up on electric boxes in southeast Denver

Andrew Woodward has painted hyper-realistic images of official animals from all 50 states. Now they're going up on electric boxes in southeast Denver as public art.

DENVER — Drive around southeast Denver, and something wild might catch your eye on the edge of the sidewalk. 

Maybe it's the curved headgear of a bighorn sheep, or the oddity of an armadillo. It could be the impressive stature of a grizzly bear or the menacing snarl of a wolverine. 

"Generally people shout out the car doors that they love my stuff," Andrew Woodward said. 

Woodward is the artist responsible for releasing these creatures around his district. He's turning his series of original paintings for 50 official state animals into vinyl wraps on electric boxes. 

"It's definitely a form of public art and it enhances the culture of an area," he said. 

Animals weren't always his thing, but after painting a couple small pieces in 2008, Woodward saw an opportunity.

"I sold them right away and I like money, so I decided to paint more animals," he said. 

Typically, Woodward paints landscapes and cityscapes. He's got pieces all over the world, and an exhibit opening in Boston soon. 

The city of Denver liked his animals so much they reached out to him to do some boxes for the Imagine 2020 competition. Soon, his part of the city will have an animal representing every state in the nation, plus our national bird, the American Bald Eagle.

"I’ve been really fortunate to work with Kendra Black’s office here in Denver and they’ve provided most of the cost of the materials of this project. We’ve managed to put them up all over her district," he said.

If you're wondering what creatures might catch your eye next, Woodward suggests keeping an eye out on Hampden, where his next 10 to 15 boxes will be.

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