(si ud desea leer la versión en español,por favor clickee aquí:https://lasmusasdespiertas.blogspot.com/2022/04/arte-entrevista-simon-orourke-el.html)
As he himself wrote in his web page, after gaining his degree with honours in Illustration; specialising in children’s books, hr became a tree surgeon for Acorn ArborCare. There’s no connection really, but he needed a full time job, and wanted to slowly build up his illustration career outside of work!
He managed to get a children’s book commission from a tree work customer which was published in America through Trafford Publishing. In the time that followed, he did not pursue his illustration career, but he realised he could actually be creative with the chainsaw and tried his hand at wood carving!
“I carved for two years under the banner of Acorn Furniture and set up my own business in 2005. I now reside in North Wales, with my lovely wife Liz, and have worked in a wide variety of public places and private gardens.
My chainsaw carving exploits have taken me all around the world. I have now competed in chainsaw carving competitions in the USA, Japan, Canada, Holland, Germany, Denmark and the UK, placing highly in many of them.”
He was born in Liverpool in 1978, and moved to North Wales in 1997 to do a degree in Illustration.
He carved for two years under the banner of Acorn Furniture and set up his own business in 2005. He now lives with his wife Liz, and has worked in a wide variety of public places and private gardens.
He produces fine pieces of artwork using waste timber or standing stumps, using a variety of power tools and hand tools. These works of art range from classical sculpture of human and animal form, to abstract work and re-creating logos in wood.
So, we are in front of a great, great artist in wood, an artist who works from trees that have either fallen naturally, or on trees that have become dangerous or diseased.
Simon, you have worked for films, too.
How did you get the connection about films and your work in wood?
I honestly don’t know! Sometimes the right people see and like your work, and I got lucky!
You participate in social work too, how do you feel when one of your sculptures is part of a fundraising?
I love it when I can give something away. I do get lots of requests to do that and I can’t do it all the time, so it’s difficult to choose sometimes! If I can help someone I will.
Which the the many many sculptures you have made is your favourite?
That’s a difficult question to answer! I love the giant hand, and the WW2 Airman, but it’s very hard to decide on one favourite.
And which of them was the most difficult?
The Giant hand was one of the most difficult to do as it needed to be accurate, and at that scale it’s difficult to assess what you’ve done when you are close to it. I needed to come down from the platform regularly to assess the shape and proportions!
How much time do you invert in a small sculpture?
It depends on how complex it is. Some smaller pieces can be very quick to create. If it’s a simple form like an owl then I may only take 1 hour.
The process is consultation, design, creation and handover. How do you feel when public react viewing your sculptures?
It is always scary waiting for the reaction of the public! I love it when people appreciate my work, and I do find it interesting when my work creates debate.
We can see you enjoy this very much, but which of those processes is the most difficult?
I’ll be honest, it’s sometimes difficult to hand over a project knowing I won’t see it again! I find it hard to decide when to finish a sculpture, and sometimes I have to just walk away and not look at it otherwise I would want to change things!
Some words for those who want to dabble in this task.
Don’t try to copy other people’s sculptures, work from life when you can.
Some words for Las musas public:
I hope you find happiness in other people’s creativity! Art is a wonderful gift and I always hope to put a smile on people’s faces when they see my sculptures.
Awards:
English Open Chainsaw Carving Competition – 2004 3rd place, 2007 1st place, 2008 1st place, 2009 1st place, 2010 2nd place, 2012 2nd place, 2013 2nd place, 2015 1st place
Oregon Divisional Carving Competition – 2005 3rd place
Scottish Open – 2006 2nd place, 2007 3rd place
Japan World Chainsaw Competition – 2006 3rd place
Husky Cup Germany – 2007 4th place, 2009 3rd place, 2010 2nd place, 2016 1st place
Chetwynd Chainsaw championships Canada – 2009 3rd place
Chataqua Art Challenge NY – 2012 2nd place
We invite you to go to his web page https://www.treecarving.co.uk/
Thanks a lot, Simon for being a connection between our public and yours. Thanks for your time for answering this interview.
©Silvia Vázquez
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