Santa Clarita artist and metal sculptor Idelle Tyzbir has been approved to design a new piece for a future fire station in Castaic.

Idelle Tyzbir, also known as the “metal wrestler,” was chosen by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission Civic Art Program to conceptualize a sculpture which will be displayed in front of a new fire station in Castaic, according to Tyzbir. The sculpture will be made of stainless steel and it will abstractly represent three firefighters.

“I was elated when I heard I was to design a sculpture for the fire station,” Tyzbir said. “They were so enthusiastic to work with me, it was all very positive.”

Iron Horse Trailhead sculpture

Tyzbir’s work includes the “Crossroads” steel sculpture at the Iron Horse Trailhead, according to Tyzbir. Commissioned by Newhall Land, the 15-foot-high and 1,200-pound sculpture sits on the bike paths adjacent to the old train trestle off of Magic Mountain Parkway. Tyzbir also taught a metal sculpting course at the College of the Canyons this past semester in which she designed a sculpture that her students brought to life using fire, metal, and artistic vision.

“Some of the students I worked with never worked with metal, some never used metal for art, and some were good at other things,” Tyzbir said. “They came together amazingly well. By the end of the sixteen week course, they were a well-oiled machine, it was fabulous.”

Examples of Tyzbir’s work

The fire station sculpture does not have a concrete date in which it will be installed, but it is expected to be displayed by summer of next year, according to Tyzbir. Until then, Tyzbir will work on her watercolors and will also continue teaching. She plans to lead a summer institute program at the College of the Canyons starting in July where she will teach junior high school students the art of metal sculpting.

“I’ve always liked making metal seem less industrial and more free-flowing,” said Tyzbir. “It’s a struggle between the structural and organic. Working with metal is like a metaphor for the conflict between limits and freedom.”

– David Munoz