05/23/2026
What better way to kick off Memorial Day Weekend than by witnessing the creation of art used to memorialize the history of our community! A huge thank you to Walsenburg Downtown Revitalization Committee for brining this Beautiful murals to our community! If you see these individuals, thank them for the hard work that they put into making this weekend a success! - Far-Out Murals Crafty Canary Brewery Aubrey Lykins Gub Gub's Pizza and Ice Cream Helena Anne The Lofts - Downtown and/or Whistle Stop
We would like to take a very special moment to thank the man behind the paint, our very own homegrown muralist, Robert Nakamura for his amazing creation inside The IronRail SpeakEasy located in the outside patio of The Walsenburg Mercantile / The StokeHouse.
Robert was raised in Walsenburg, Colorado. Since he can remember, he's always had a marker in his hand. Creativity is a practice and a meditation that Robert has been hungry to improve upon. He is infatuated with art…music, movies, writing, and the general idea of making something out of nothing. Robert is inspired by most all things, especially grown out of hardship. He is ever thankful and driven by the loved ones around him. At the current moment, he is working in road construction, and in his other hours he is working on drawings, poems, and taking care of family.
When given the task of brining the Iron Rail SpeakEasy to life, Robert decided to paint the two coal carts to mimic the passing trains of Walsenburg. Full of graffiti, and full of coal. A day scene and a night scene to follow a theme of light and dark. Old style letterings cover the room as well; he wanted something that flowed, but also had an edge.
The black coverage is a darkness you might find in a deep mine, contrasted by flowers, vibrant and full of color.
A rose, a columbine, wood lilies, all native to our area.
Robert. chose three birds for the walls.
A crow, a hummingbird, and a canary. To Robert, birds stand for grace and a sense of freedom, ease if you will. Working out on the highways, he is always keeping his eyes out for them. All can be seen around us quite commonly, and thinking of them makes him think of home. Canaries were also used as a way to detect for toxic gases in the early mining days, which is a neat allusion to our town’s history/foundation. There is also the mineshaft entrance to add to that appeal.
Another large part of our area is the agriculture, and Robert wanted to paint something to pay homage to that as well as the Andreatta’s hand in it all. He chose the skull and flowers because he thought it’s was a good representation of the goodness that can be found (or placed) in the grit of things. Robert says, "The toughest people I’ve ever met were also the kindest, to me it stands for that as well".
For the sake of community, there are the grey walls that allow people to tag their names or “Leave a Mark”. Hopefully one day all of our names layer over each other’s in a really cool way. I hope the Speakeasy can stand out in a fun way for the youth, while allowing the older generations to appreciate the standing aspects of our town.
Thank you, Robert! We will cherish your artistic creations for many years to come!
