New Jersey Artist Carves Wooden Schwarzenegger

I can’t say I’ve thought about Arnold Schwarzenegger in a while. Out of everything that could’ve reminded me of him, this was not the first thing I would’ve thought of.

New Jersey woodcarver James O’Neil spent six months carving this life-size sculpture of Arnold from a black oak tree. The sculpture features Arnold in his classic pose, beef guns blazing, and even features sculpted arm veins for added authenticity.

The sculpture also has grain changes every few inches, making it the most complicated thing O’Neil has ever carved. O’Neil claims that this piece exemplifies why he carves wood, detailing a massive amount of character for, as he calls Arnold, the “Austrian Oak.”

The sculpture will be entered into the Art Prize contest in Grand Rapids, Michigan this month. Afterwards, it’ll be on display at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio where, O’Neil hopes, the man himself will get a look at it.