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Building a life-size sculpture of a horse from wood is no mean feat. But this time-lapse video of sculptor Simon O’Rourke in action makes it look strangely easy…
The wooden masterpiece is modelled on Dexter (pictured below), a 12-year-old resident at the Anglesey Riding Centre, where he is a firm favourite among staff and customers.
“I wanted to find a horse that I liked the look of and could clearly see the muscle structure. Dexter fitted the bill perfectly,” says Simon.
“He’s an absolutely gorgeous horse and I hope those who know Dexter will see the likeness in my creation.”
The sculpture will be on showcase at the Sculpture in the Sanctuary exhibition in Southwell, Nottinghamshire for the rest of the month.
“It’s fitting that the model will spend August in Southwell, which is home to Southwell Racecourse, as Dexter was actually born at a racing yard,” adds Simon.
The exhibition marks the latest stop on a UK-wide tour of the horse, following appearances at Bolesworth International, Woodfest and The Big Art Show Shrewsbury.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
“The horse took me more than 60 hours to create and is one of my finest works of art. It garners a lot of attention on social media when we publish posts about it so I know it’s popular, too,” says Simon.
“It’s fantastic to have exhibited him at several high-profile events, culminating in spending the last month of summer at the Sculpture in the Sanctuary.
Horse & Hound catches up with equestrian sculptor Nic Fiddian-Green to find out what life is like making giant horses’
Helen Barry, one of the organisers of the event, said: “We carefully select works from artists who use a variety of mediums such as bronze, ceramic, glass, wire, and wood.
“As soon as we came across Simon’s work we knew it would be perfect for the Sculpture in the Sanctuary event.”
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