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Headline: Man Carves Arnold Schwarzenegger From Oak

Caption: A man has created a life-size statue of Arnold Schwarzenegger - out of a single tree trunk. James O'Neal took six months to craft his own Austrian Oak - Arnold's nickname - although it was a black oak tree used. He says his 1.88 metre statue depicts Schwarzenegger in the signature bodybuilding 'vacuum pose', which Arnold used to show off his Mr Universe-winning V-shaped physique. The Stow Creek Township, New Jersey, resident explains: "This piece of black oak has the craziest grain of anything I’ve ever carved. 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. "My statue compared with pictures of Arnold, he doesn’t look like any single picture, as I used hundreds for reference, and took details I liked from different photos. "Since Arnold is known as the Austrian Oak I didn't want to do much to make the base too refined, instead making it obvious Arnold is carved from an actual oak tree. "I also received word the other day that Arnold was following the progress and loves the statue. "The statue will be displayed next March at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio where Arnold himself and 200,000 plus attendees will see it in person." James has previously created wooded sculptures of boxers Muhammad Ali and Floyd Mayweather, as well as controversial UFC star Conor McGregor.

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