Posted on 03/25/2020 11:51:52 AM PDT by Twotone
Calling it "Amazing Art with matchsticks" does not do Patrick Acton's sculptures justice. Over the past 40 years, this Iowa native has been building some of the world's biggest and complicated matchstick sculptures. While some of the larger ones are in "Ripley's Believe it of Not Museums", many are in his own museum "Matcshstick Marvels" down the road from his home in Gladbrook, Iowa. Incredibly, he's made them all in his tiny basement workshop in his home. He estimates that he has used over 7.5 million matchsticks in his career. His most impressive builds include the State Capitol building, a huge Millenium Falcon complete with lights and working landing gear, a locomotive that kids can actually climb into, Hogwarts from Harry Potter and many many more. While most people would build a couple models, Patrick has over 100, each unique and spectacular not to mention impressive.
(Excerpt) Read more at youtube.com ...
My dad covered a small bookcase with them in a pattern and then shellacked it all. It was very pretty. That was probably over 50 years ago. Wish I still had it...sigh
UNBELIEVABLE!! Love the Pinnocio,
The creativity of people never ceases to amaze me. Fun video, thanks for sharing. 8>)
His skills are incredible and impressive. It takes the mind of an engineer or a surgeon to produce such intricate and perishable work. You can tell he still enjoys every moment of the process. Some of those pieces he can keep for display, some may be sold, while others will simply have to be destroyed in order to create room for the newer ones.
Woe be it to the ungainly friend who stumbles, accidentally pushing one of those sculptures, sending it smashing to the floor.
Hopefully the artist keeps his pistol unloaded and in an always locked cabinet. (sarc).
There are people who specialize in Sand Sculpture.
An even more delicate medium. It would only take one heart sneeze to ruin a portfolio of work.
I was going to post the original Status Quo version.
I like the CVB ver better ;)
Unbelievably talented artist. I hope his work is preserved forever after he checks out.
Dedicated and that’s a good thing. His life has been filled with joy by creating.
Wow! That is amazing. Thanks for posting.
That is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!
Absolutely amazing. Seems like a really nice guy, too. Much more impressive than Ralph Kramden’s hairpin box made out of 2,000 matchsticks (smuggled from the palace of the emperor of Japan).
(The Hollywood remake is called "Dinner for Schmucks", with Steve Carell kind of/sort of reprising the equivalent role but as a taxidermist of mice rather than building with matchsticks.)
I’d love to be able to concentrate on my hobbies, but I’m in the food industry so I’m stuck home working extra hard so people can hoard stuff. At least I am not a warehouse worker, they are physically being worked like dogs. Even in slow times their jobs are physically demanding.
The phrase, “somebody needs to get a life,” comes to mind.
World’s Largest Ball of Twine, Cawker City, Kansas
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/worlds-largest-ball-twine-rolled-one-man
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