Q&A
Arvada artist Malcolm Farley was commissioned by the Arvada Police Department to create a recruitment painting depicting the idea that superheroes are real – and sometimes take the form of Arvada police officers.
Farley, whose paintings sell for more than $10,000, gave his work to the city for “about the cost of the canvas,” he said. The painting is on display in City Hall, and posters were made with writing added.
Q: What did you think when Cmdr. Gary Creager approached you with the concept of “Super Heroes Are Real”?
A: When I first thought of it, you know, I have a hard time with kids watching TV all the time – the influence TV has on society and glorifying the wrong things. I really thought, you know, police officers are the real heroes, especially since 9/11. That’s really created an awareness across the country of what’s important in life and who’s important in life.
Q: What were you trying to convey in your painting?
A: The three entities, the three pieces of the painting, they all, first of all, emanate light. I see officers, if the job is being done correctly, as beacons of light in the community. For instance: There’s a young girl asking for guidance. … Then there’s the SWAT team, where something has gone awry, and they are there in that manner. And then the main figure is an officer helping a young child. … The subliminal thing is that they’re guiding them and pointing children in the right direction, and in that way, I think officers are heroes.
Q: Why did you charge so little?
A: It was a donation to the community in which I live. I raise children in that community; I live and work in that community. I just feel we should build a strong foundation in the community, starting with law enforcement. They are more than police, and I hope people perceive them more as guidance – again, beacons of light. I just wanted to give something back to the community.
– Alicia P.Q. Wittmeyer, Denver Post staff writer
REGIONAL NOTES
AURORA
City to celebrate Xeriscape garden
Aurora will celebrate its Xeriscape garden from 5 to 8 p.m. Aug. 18 at the northwest corner of Alameda Parkway and South Chambers Road. The event will feature music and food.
Xeriscaping, which started in Colorado and is practiced throughout the Southwest, is an attractive, water-conserving type of landscaping that can reduce a homeowner’s water use by as much as 50 percent.
The 6-acre Aurora site has a formal garden, with 250 varieties of perennials, trees and shrubs, thousands of bulbs, nine varieties of turf and a re-creation of the Black Forest. Used as an education and outreach tool, the garden is open to visitors seven days a week.
Visit www.aurorawater.org or call 303-326-8854.
