Thursday, February 15, 2018

TED: wood carvings by Ted Porter



The newest exhibition in the upstairs gallery features the work of Ted Chapman and Ted Porter. Porter, a self-taught wood carver from Portland, donated his collection of more than 50 pieces to the Horner Museum in 1986.  As a child, he was intrigued by a carved wooden chain containing a cage with a ball inside that he saw at school.  As an adult working in a logging camp, he decided to try to carve a similar chain out of a spare piece of wood. It took some time before he was able to figure out how to accomplish this feat. One of the pieces he donated shows the beginning of a chain. 

The finished product might look something like this long chain of cedar containing a ball in a cage.  Like all of his chains, it is carved of a single piece of wood.


In addition to carving chains and other whimsies, Porter also produced some more traditional sculptural pieces.  Titled “Weightlifter,” this sculpture of alder depicts a Chinese strongman preparing to lift.
"Weightlifter" by Ted Porter

You can see more of Ted Porter's carvings in Benton County Museum's upstairs gallery until March 3, 2018.

 By Martha Fraundorf, Volunteer for Benton County Historical Society, Philomath, Oregon


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