Not everyone can visit the Rocky Mountain National Park five times in three months with the purpose of creating art from nature. But international artist Tadashi Hayakawa did, and produced 42 pieces of art work to support culture in his town of residence: Parker.

Almost four years ago, Barbara Wilson noticed artist Hayakawa drawing sketches at the Le Peep restaurant in Parker. Hayakawa said he had just moved to Parker from Los Angeles, Calif.

Wilson and Hayakawa soon developed a relationship that has meant significant changes for Parker's cultural identity, especially in the past year, according to Hayakawa. "More and more people are interested and aware (of the Parker Mainstreet Center now than last year)," said Hayakawa.

I was very fortunate to find him hanging up his art work for the Quiet Thoughts at Rocky Mountain National Park silent auction at the Parker Library on Dec. 4 after I had enjoyed Santa's visit. He insisted that Barbara Wilson and Linda Ginsberg at the Parker Mainstreet Center were key in making the silent auction possible.

"All this is a part of our movement to work hard for Douglas County and even Denver County," said Hayakawa, who calls Ginsberg and Wilson members of a "committee working with any public person interested in developing (this cultural) movement."

The pieces he has donated to the silent auction, which will benefit the Parker Artists Guild, the Parker Mainstreet Center and the Parker Library, emerged from drawings he created, taking20-30 minutes for each, at the Rocky Mountain National Park.

He said it is very important for him to draw nature in nature itself, to capture what he feels and sees at the very spot that inspires him. He described his work for the silent auction as "very spontaneous, fairly idealistic paintings."

Hayakawa said that the silent auction is important to him because he likes to give the community a chance to purchase affordable art.

But the silent auction is also instructive, revealing to the public how his drawings, and potentially their own, transform from the realistic to the abstract.
Bids on pieces in the silent auction begin at 20 percent of market value and bidding begins at the Parker Library, 10851 S. Crossroads Drive, on Dec. 6 from 6-8 p.m. Bids will be accepted at the library through Dec. 19. For more information, click here.

Hayakawa invites the public to paint with him every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Mainstreet Center at19650 E. Mainstreet. "Anyone can drop by -- even if I'm not there," he said.

Visit the artist's Web site here.

Are you artistic? Please post your arttoday. Let me know if you would like help at dialt@yourhub.com or 303-954-2362.