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From the Yurok Tribe:

Award-winning Yurok artist Carl Avery has been busy this summer painting a new mural full of color and life on the Klamath Glen basketball court.

Funded by the Yurok Transportation Department’s Clean California grant, the painting features colorful tribal designs and two large swimming salmon that extend the length of the NCAA regulation size court. The mural’s color’s flow from dark to light across the court, representing the theme, “We are the River,” and the salmon’s return home.

Carl is a talented Yurok artist who has painted more than 50 murals throughout his career, in addition to original paintings and prints. His designs combine traditional tribal motifs as well as influences from the world of graffiti and street art. To see more of Carl’s work, please visit carlaverystudios.com

The Klamath Glen mural required planning, doodle mapping, and some unusual technology. Carl began by thoroughly pressure washing the cement, priming the entire court, then laying down extensive grid lines to guide him through the process. While Carl usually uses a projector to assist him on wall murals, for the basketball court he used a VR headset to get an overhead view of the flat surface. The technology saved time and helped him put his plan in place.

Carl loves contributing to the beautification of the Klamath area and providing a memorable place for kids and adults to play basketball and make memories surrounded by art.

This project is one of a Transportation Department-led effort to revitalize and create new public spaces on the reservation. The department has recently installed a playground in Klamath and commissioned another mural for the Klamath townsite basketball court. The Transportation team partnered with local woodworkers to place hand-carved benches adorned with traditional basket patterns across the reservation.

After Carl’s mural is complete, he is planning to return to the Klamath area to work with local youth to paint 4x8-foot wood panels that will be hung on the fences around the court.

When he’s not painting and creating art, Carl looks forward to spending time with his wife Elise and two children. Elise helps with the business side of his painting while he enjoys focusing on the art aspects and planning how he will complete the artwork.