Simon O’Rourke is an environmental artist from North Wales specializing in wood sculpture. Simon's webpage and social media profiles are full of photos capturing his stunning and unbelievably detailed sculptures, with one of them being this giant 50 ft hand reaching for the sky.
According to the Facebook comment section, thousands of people find this work majestic and visually stunning, though we gotta say, the story behind this wooden sculpture is equally as stunning and interesting as the sculpture itself.
Turns out, this 50 ft wooden sculpture is called Giant Hand of Vyrnwy
Image credits: Simon O’Rourke
"I found out through a friend that the tallest tree in Wales had been storm damaged and was due to be felled, and that Natural Resource Wales, who were in charge of the site, were going to commission an artist to carve the tree," the artist writes on his personal webpage.
After the tallest tree in Wales was damaged, the artist came up with the idea to carve it
Image credits: Simon O’Rourke
"I searched the internet for the right person to talk to, and on finding them, I got permission to submit a design! I was really excited at the prospect of carving this giant and creating a memorial for such a well-known landmark!" the artist expresses his gratitude.
"I began researching the area and found the area of woodland that contained the tree was known as the Giants of Vyrnwy"
Image credits: Simon O’Rourke
"I began researching the area and found the area of woodland that contained the tree was known as the Giants of Vyrnwy. This got me thinking and I decided on a giant hand, symbolizing the giants, and the tree’s last attempt to reach for the sky!" reads the artist's webpage.
Image credits: Simon O’Rourke
"My designs were chosen and I immediately got to work planning. Scaffold was needed to make it safe to work on, and the terrain was such a difficult one that it took two days to erect the scaffold!" explains the artist. "Six days of intense work followed using chainsaws and grinders. I needed to add two pieces for the thumb and little finger, as the tree wasn’t wide enough to form the whole hand. After completion, the sculpture was coated in Tung Oil, a natural plant-based oil safe for proximity to waterways."
"I loved working on the hand sculpture, it reminded me just how small we are"
Image credits: Simon O’Rourke
"The client was really pleased with the result and said that it was a fitting reminder of the tree," writes the artist. "I loved working on the hand sculpture, it reminded me just how small we are compared to some of the living organisms on this planet! All in all, a humbling experience!"
Apparently, if you'd like to get a personal sculpture like this one, you'd have to pay around $12,000
Image credits: Simon O’Rourke
Here's what people on Facebook are saying about this wooden work
