MP Strahl Showcases Sculpture by Chilliwack Resident

CHILLIWACK – To promote artists in Chilliwack and Hope, Member of Parliament Mark Strahl is showcasing local in his Parliamentary office.

MP Strahl is encouraging local artists from across the riding to submit their work, along with their bio and contact information. Artwork is also featured on Mark’s website: www.markstrahl.com.

This month’s featured artist is Paul McCarl. Paul is a retired RCMP officer who has lived in the Fraser Valley and lower mainland for the last 38 years. While working for the RCMP in the Major Crimes Section, Paul worked very closely with Bob Paulson, the former Commissioner of the RCMP. After 35 years of service, he retired and settled here in Chilliwack.

“My entire life has been committed to enjoying nature and pursuing the arts,” said Paul. “I have been drawing pictures, carving wood and sculpting stone as a hobby and then later as a business for the past 27 years.”

For stone sculpting, Paul’s mediums of choice are granite and jade, each of which he quarries and collects locally while walking along river beds, or climbing and hiking in the local mountains. He carves wildlife figures, and his signature pieces are killer whales swimming in a pod, which are carved in local jade and are featured in collections throughout the world. The sizes of his stone carvings vary from less than a pound (small 4-inch long trout minnow) to a 10 foot long, 18,000 pound life-sized granite grizzly bear. Several notable people who have some of Paul’s art sculptures in their personal collections are Canadian Senator Gerry St. Germain, NHL Hockey Hall of Fame Legend Bobby Baun and the Griffiths Family in Vancouver.

Paul has a green granite Owl sculpture featured in MP Strahl’s Parliamentary Art Gallery, titled “Wiz-dom.” The stone was collected from a mountain within the constituency, carved with the aid of diamond tools including saws, grinding discs, files, diamond sanding pads and lastly polished with diamond paste. The sculpture is harder than steel, and the surface is resistant to scratching and damage. The dimensions of the carving are 12″ high, 12″ wide and 7″ thick. It weighs 43 pounds.

“Paul McCarl is an incredibly skilled stone sculptor, demonstrating the fascinating wildlife and beautiful nature in Chilliwack and Hope. Each piece, small or large is truly a treasure to behold,” said MP Strahl.

More of Paul’s work is showcased on his website: http://www.paulmccarl.com/

Those interested in submitting their artwork for MP Strahl’s Parliamentary Art Gallery are asked to contact his office for more information.

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