Sculptor Carves Life-Sized Arnold Schwarzenegger Statue Out of a Tree Trunk

 

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A post shared by James O’Neal (@jim104gmc) on Aug 29, 2018 at 6:21pm PDT

While Arnold Schwarzenegger has already been honored with a 600-pound bronze statue in Ohio, the world champion bodybuilder, Hollywood star, and ex-Governor of California has recently inspired the work of another sculptor. Wood carving artist James O’Neal created an incredible life-sized Arnie out of an old tree trunk and documented the entire process on Instagram.

Carved from black oak, the impressive piece measures 1.88 meters in height (approximately 6′ 2″ tall) and took 6 months to complete. It depicts Schwarzenegger standing in his signature bodybuilding “vacuum pose,” capturing his muscular, v-shaped physique and flexed arms. A polyurethane coat brings out rich tones and the wood’s beautiful natural grain, as well as lifelike details such as wood-carved veins on the arms.

“This piece of black oak has the craziest grain of anything I’ve ever carved,” O’Neal says on Instagram. “Burls, knots, bark, bug tunnels, and grain that changes direction every few inches. Arnold fans will probably feel it interferes with the statue, but this piece is why I carve trees. So much character, and after all, Arnold is the Austrian Oak.”

This isn’t the first figurative sculpture O’Neal has created. He’s also immortalized other famous sports champions, including Conor McGregor, Cris Cyborg, Muhammad Ali, and Floyd Mayweather. You check out all of O’Neal’s wooden sculptures on Instagram.

Woodcarving artist James O’Neal created an incredible life-sized Arnold Schwarzenegger statue out of an old tree trunk, posed in his signature “vacuum pose.”

 

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A post shared by James O’Neal (@jim104gmc) on Aug 30, 2018 at 1:07pm PDT

 

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A post shared by James O’Neal (@jim104gmc) on Aug 19, 2018 at 5:05pm PDT

Carved from black oak, the impressive piece measures 1.88 meters-tall and took 6 months to complete.

 

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A post shared by James O’Neal (@jim104gmc) on Jul 13, 2018 at 2:51am PDT

 

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A post shared by James O’Neal (@jim104gmc) on Mar 10, 2018 at 5:13pm PST

 

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A post shared by James O’Neal (@jim104gmc) on Apr 4, 2018 at 7:02pm PDT

 

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A post shared by James O’Neal (@jim104gmc) on Apr 15, 2018 at 11:30am PDT

 

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A post shared by James O’Neal (@jim104gmc) on May 5, 2018 at 6:35pm PDT

 

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A post shared by James O’Neal (@jim104gmc) on Aug 22, 2018 at 1:55am PDT

James O’Neal: Instagram
h/t: [Reddit]

All images via James O’Neal.

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