Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/728154
S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S • 165 A s a boy in his British Columbia high school, Karl Lansing's nickname was "Elk" because his friends and classmates claimed he spent more time with woodland critters in the forest than he did with anything else. At age 11 he shot his first really good whitetail buck. Then, under the direction of legendary taxidermist Romey Lodermeier, he mounted it himself and discovered he had talent he hadn't realized. After that, no pigeon or squirrel was safe from his slingshot as he practiced and grew his taxidermy skills using a mail-order instruction manual and papier-mâché forms he fashioned from flour, water, and shredded newspapers. His interests were eclectic, of course. For awhile he even played Tier I hockey, but had to admit that, although he was good, his talent for hockey fell short of a shot at the pros. After graduation from high school, Karl followed in his father's bootsteps and became an expert tree-cutter in the B.C. lumber industry, got married, and began a family. Later, he drove one of those monster haul trucks in a Kootenay open pit coal mine where, between loads in his 12-hour shifts, he sketched scenes of nature on the backs of his time cards. Somehow, he says, after working in the woods with a chainsaw, sitting up there in the cab of that big truck just didn't feel right. During his off days, he hunted and then began very successfully guiding other hunters. Art by bob McKinney EVERYONE HAS AN ARTISTIC TALENT – KARL LANSING HAS SEVERAL. But all of these pursuits were not truly him. Deep down in his soul, he was an artist. In fact, Karl insists, he was actually an artist in everything he did, at least as defined by his belief that everyone possesses talent and the ability to be an artist in whatever he or she does. Talent, he says, isn't just about painting, sculpting, singing, writing, or acting anymore than is driving an 18-wheeler. It takes talent to be a good parent, fly a bush plane, fix a car, cape out and quarter an elk, or performing hundreds of other human endeavors that virtually never get applause or accolades. When he got caught up in a big layoff at the mine, however, his wife, Louise, told him that if he was ever goin to become a professional artist in the traditional sense of the word, the enforced time off, combined with 12 months of unemployment checks, gave him some daylight to skate toward. This was his chance to pursue his dream— perhaps the only one he would ever get. The idea of actually earning one's living as an artist was probably somewhat difficult for Karl to embrace. He came from a basically blue-collar family with strong Karl Lansing wades a wilderness stream en route to elk camp. As a guide, he's been in on more than 116 elk kills. He's also a two-time Canadian elk-bugling champion. Below: Good Friends is a 16-inch-long bronze featuring a traditional patina.