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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