Hands and fingers are tools people use every day, whether it is to grab a cup or open a door. This is even more true for a sculptor who uses their hands to make art. John Powers, a sculptor in New York’s Hudson Valley, shares how his life was changed after an accident in his workshop.

Powers was using a table saw to cut wood for a fence when the wood jammed and his hand slipped, leaving him with a missing thumb and ring finger. Although this accident was devastating, it’s also inspired Powers to think differently about his art.

Jacques H. Hacquebord, MD, co-director of the Center for Amputation Reconstruction, speaks to PBS NewsHour about Powers, the complex anatomy of the fingers, and prosthetics. “Fingers are some of the most complex sculptures that there are. They are functional sculptures,” Dr. Hacquebord says. “And so he just understands the anatomy without even knowing the anatomy. And I think he kind of looks at the finger and just imagines what the anatomy should be, and how it’s working, and why it’s working, why it’s not, and what he can do to make it better.”

Watch and read more from PBS NewsHour.