Thor's Hammer, Bryce Canyon Utah Travel Wall Art

A Thor's Hammer Bryce Canyon poster of the best known hoodoo in the Bryce Amphitheatre. The column stands right of centre, tapering up to the squared block of harder rock that gives it its name, with a narrow neck just below the cap. Behind it the amphitheatre wall runs across the frame as a row of orange and white banded fins, a sandy switchback trail curves in from the lower left, and pines and desert shrubs hold the near slope.

About the artwork

Illustrative and closely worked, with the pitted, fluted surface of the hoodoo drawn as hundreds of small carved shapes rather than smooth shading. The palette is orange, apricot and brick on the columns, chalky white and cream in the softer limestone bands behind, warm sand on the trail, deep pine green in the trees and low scrub, all under a strong cobalt sky with cream cumulus and a pale blue plateau on the far horizon. Type is printed at the base in white capitals: THOR'S HAMMER over UTAH. Portrait, 2:3.

Why you'll love it

• One column, clearly the subject. The hoodoo is isolated against open sky rather than lost in the amphitheatre wall, so it reads instantly from across a room.
• The white bands matter. The pale limestone layers behind the hoodoo are what make Bryce look different from every other red rock place in Utah.
• The trail is in the picture. The switchback at lower left is the path down from Sunset Point, which puts you on foot rather than at an overlook.
• Orange against cobalt. A hard, clean contrast that keeps its punch even at small sizes.

Sizes and materials

• Paper - archival matte, rolled and unframed. Nine sizes from 8" x 12" to 30" x 40", plus A4-A1 for European frames.
• Matte canvas - stretched on a wooden bar, no glare, ready to hang.
• Framed canvas - solid wood floating frame in white, black, espresso or natural.
• Pigment-based archival inks, rated to resist fading for decades indoors.

Styling it at home

Orange rock and cobalt sky give this print two strong colours and little in between, so it does well on a quiet wall - warm white, bone or a soft grey - where it can be the only thing happening. In a room with leather, terracotta or woven textures it looks settled rather than bright. On a narrow console in a black frame, like the photograph above, the hoodoo edges look sharper; natural oak softens the whole thing toward the sandstone.

Shipping and care

Unframed prints ship rolled in a protective tube. Framed canvas arrives ready to hang. Keep prints out of direct sunlight to protect the colour, and dust canvas with a dry, soft cloth.

Questions people ask

What size should I get? The tall column suits the portrait format at any size. 16" x 24" or 18" x 24" works in a hallway; 24" x 36" gives the fluting on the rock room to show.

Does it come framed? Paper and matte canvas ship unframed. Framed canvas arrives stretched in a solid wood floating frame in white, black, espresso or natural, ready to hang.

What does the poster say? The caption reads THOR'S HAMMER in white capitals with UTAH centred beneath it.

Is this in a national park? Yes. Thor's Hammer stands in the Bryce Amphitheatre inside Bryce Canyon National Park, just below Sunset Point on the Navajo Loop trail. This shop keeps a separate Bryce Canyon national park collection if you are building a park set rather than a Utah set.

Is this the same as Thor's Well? No, and the names are easy to confuse. Thor's Hammer is this sandstone hoodoo in southern Utah. Thor's Well is a collapsed sea cave on the Oregon coast that swallows incoming surf, and it is a different print in this shop.