The security guard for a plaza in Fort Collins is being honored for her work as an artist after sketching some of the people she interacts with on the job. FOX31’s Evan Kruegel saw where her artwork comes to life.
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (KDVR) — A Fort Collins security guard is being honored by her company for a unique skill set that’s not on display.
Dena Creaser has been the security guard at the Fort Collins Marketplace for nearly two years, greeting visitors with a wave and a smile, while making sure the property and businesses are safe.
But those interactions on the job are also the inspiration for hundreds of beautiful sketches, now being recognized by her company NewMark Merrill Companies.
“Ever since the beginning, I’ve been drawing the people I see,” Creaser said. “I enjoy drawing everybody, and I want to draw everybody.”
Executives at NewMark Merrill caught wind of the drawings and helped her transform the security guard office into a makeshift art studio.
Every day during her break and again after work, Creaser grabs her charcoal and jots down images from the day.
She’s careful to avoid drawing faces if she’s worried it could harm or embarrass the person she interacts with but makes it a goal to capture the emotions on display.
“If they’re happy, I hope they see that in my drawings. If they’re sad, I hope you see that in my drawings,” she said.
NewMark Merrill recently decided to commission an artist to paint some of Creaser’s sketches on a handful of buildings across the country, including one now on display at Village of the Peaks in Longmont.
“When they told me they were going to do murals, I couldn’t believe it, I mean all of this has been so incredible,” she said. “[There’s] all these nice things said about me, but my whole point is to get people talking. We’re all human, we all deserve kindness and respect, and that’s my whole point.”
Dean Cirian spends a lot of time at the Marketplace and recently became the subject of one of Creaser’s sketches.
“She’s awesome, you couldn’t ask for anything better,” he said. “She’s not just a security guard, she’s someone who actually cares about the community and the people around it.”
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