Simon O’Rourke is a creative artist who creates his masterpieces derived from waste timber and standing tree stumps in Northern Wales.
So when a storm hit the region, one of O’Rourke’s friends informed him about the tallest tree in Wales that was struck by the storm, and due to be chopped down.
However, the Natural Resource of Wales, stormed into action, and decided to commission an artist to carve the tree instead.
‘’I was really excited at the prospect of carving this giant and creating a memorial for such a well-known landmark!’’ O’Rourke said upon getting permission to submit a design.
After his designs were chosen, the excited artist sprang into planning. He began his project by researching the area where the monumental tree was located.
O’Rourke learnt that the tree was known as the Giants of Vyrnwy, which inspired him to produce a piece relating to the concept of hands.
‘’This got me thinking and I decided on a giant hand, symbolising the giants, and the tree’s last attempt to reach for the sky!’’ O’Rourke wrote on his website.
The first step required scaffolding, a necessary step in order to create a safe ‘canvas’ to work on.
Additionally, ‘’the terrain was such a difficult one that it took two days to erect the scaffold! 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,’’ the artist recalls some of the hardships he endured on the project.
Finally, once the work was complete, the sculpture was glazed in Tung Oil, a natural plant based oil that is also safe for proximity to waterways.
The masterpiece had an astonishing height of 50 feet (including the tree stump), and was named the Giant Hand of Vyrnwy.
The client was delighted with the final result, saying the completion was a ‘’fitting reminder of the tree.’’
O’Rourke added that ‘’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!’’
As with all of his pieces, the artist says ‘’I want people to feel like they’ve experienced part of a story.’’
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