Sculpture: Element
Created: Summer 2021
Location: Corner of Emerson St. and Lazelle Ave.
Address: 4630 Lazelle Avenue
Rolla, BC-based artist Karl Mattson created this mixed media installation called Element in the fall of 2021. The sculpture features a raven perched at the top of a tree while metal salmon emulate swimming around a large solid rock at the centre of the piece. The piece was made with rock and salvaged steel and is an ode to the elements: nature and animals. It also reflects the potential of energy.
Website: www.karlmattson.net
Instagram: @karlbmattson
Facebook: @Karl Mattson
Raised on the eroding banks of Rolla Creek, as a fifth generation farmer who lives in the South Peace, Karl Mattson is a self-taught, multi-media artist. Karl’s life has been fuelled by his compulsion to create and speak through art, which has always played a central role in his life. Karl’s current explorations include large metal sculpture and mixed media, and in particular, scavenging scraps and materials that surround his farm and community, an area currently being enveloped by the oil and gas industry. In using the creative process, Karl has been able to apply his artistic talent to protest against the environmental issues that plague his farm, his community, and his personal psyche.