A series of blogs about various sculpture trails made in wood by chainsaw artist Simon O’Rourke
What do Ruby the Owl, Horatio Hedgehog, Verity Vole and Fudge the Dachshund have in common? Not sure?These are all protagonists from sculpture trails I’ve created. And now there’s a new character to add to the list. Meet Matilda the Bee! Matilda is the main character in a brand new bee story sculpture trail I’ve … Read more
At the start of October, I partnered with fellow carvers Paul Edwards and Matthew Crabb to create the Elan Valley Sculpture trail. It was rainy, cold, and grey but the bad weather didn’t distract from the beauty of the area. Keep reading to find out more about the project… About the Elan Valley The Elan … Read more
In this week’s blog, we’re doing something a little different! Usually, the blog is about finished sculptures. This week though, we invite you to a sneaky peek of a work in progress. Keep reading to find out about one of Simon’s current projects; the Lower Farm Sculpture Trail… About Lower Farm Holiday Cottages and … Read more
We’ve often talked about Simon’s woodland sculpture trails, and earlier this year we brought you virtual tours of Meadow Park, Page’s Wood, and Fforest Fawr. We wanted to answer some of the questions people often have, so here is our quick guide to woodland sculpture trails. What is a Woodland Sculpture Trail? At their most … Read more
We’ve had some beautiful weather this week – perfect for a woodland walk! With Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland still in lockdown though, we know that for many of us, that isn’t an option. And so, once again, we decided to bring the woods to you! This week we visit Tongwynlais, in South Wales, and … Read more
Welcome back to our woodland sculpture trail series! If you read our blogs about the Pages Wood commission, and the Meadow Park woodland sculpture trail, you will know that sculpture trails are a great way to encourage people to get outside. They also encourage engagement with the environment and its care – something Simon and … Read more
Over the years Simon has created several Woodland Sculpture Trails. As we can’t easily go out and access our beautiful woodlands during lockdown, we thought we would bring them to you! Over the next few blogs we will share Simon’s Woodland Sculpture Trails so you can see them at home. And maybe once lockdown is … Read more
Return to Page’s Wood Last week Simon traveled down to London to install the sculpture trail in Page’s Wood that we featured in our blog two weeks ago. We can now say that the 12 sculptures are safely in their new home. It’s just in time for the warmer weather and the Easter holidays (free … Read more
Page’s Wood Commission This month so far, Simon has been spending time working on 12 sculptures commissioned by The Forestry Commission. The pieces will form two sculpture trails scheduled to be installed in Page’s Wood in Upminster at the end of the month. The woodland itself is the largest in the area. It boasts close to … Read more
This week we installed an entire sculpture trail!! This isn’t just any sculpture trail, it follows a story as you move from one sculpture to another. I was commissioned by the Friends Of Meadow Park to create a sculpture trail, funded by Tesco Bags Funding! I decided to write a unique children’s story and illustrate … Read more