6 minute read
The Master of Bentwood
Octogenarian keeps busy creating works of art from wood.
Article and photos by Pat McCloskey
“So, Pat, this is an example of bentwood. It’s from a one-sided tree. People look for one-sided trees and can’t find them. Also, some houses are made from one-sided trees. People can’t find them either.” As Marion Mitchell showed me his bentwood sculpture, he described the process and smiled wryly when he told me these tales. For an 89-year-old artist, he has a wonderful sense of humor and I must say … he had me going.
I met Marion at the G Squared Gallery in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, where the gallery owner, Sandra Svilar, introduced us. If you get to Ligonier, stop at the G Squared Gallery. It contains a lot of wonderful works from local artisans, including Marion Mitchell.
Early Days
Marion grew up in southern Illinois and always had tools in his hands. The son of a blind broom maker, farmer and preacher, Marion was always creative. He made most of his childhood toys from wood and built his school desk himself.
Two days after graduating from Southern Illinois University, he married his childhood sweetheart, Polly Winkler. As an aficionado of traditional German paper cutting, Polly attracted Marion with her skill, and both were enthralled with the Scherenschnitte (“scissor cuts” in German) technique. Interestingly, Somerset, Pennsylvania, is a hotbed for German paper-cutting craftsmen.
Studying the continuous lines of paper cutting, Marion became interested in doing the same with wood. Heating and steaming the wood—often of walnut, cherry, oak and box elder—one can make various shapes that look continuous in nature. He and Polly went to a show in Branson, Missouri, and became acquainted with the people from Dollywood in Pigeon Fork, Tennessee. Polly and Marion signed contracts to display their works at the entrance to Dollywood, beginning with the fall festivals there. It became a wonderful relationship that lasted from 1986 to 2007. Dollywood usually hired 75–100 craftsmen to work the fall shows, and Marion and Polly were front and center at the entrance to the facility. Marion claims his biggest customer was Dolly Parton’s dentist, who had five daughters and purchased many of Polly and Marion’s bentwood sculptures.
Perhaps the most popular of Marion’s works are his bentwood boxes, which are made with traditional Scandinavian designs. Marion began his box work by creating traditional Shaker-designed boxes with latches and swivel lids. But he was fascinated by the Norwegian type of wooden double-lock boxes he saw at the Norwegian/American Museum in Decorah, Iowa. Marion found photos of original boxes and began making his versions similar to the Norwegian tine (or snap) boxes popular in the 1800s in Norway and Sweden. Marion visited the Viking Museum in Oslo and found that many double-lock boxes originated in 700 C.E. and were designed by the Vikings. Marion eventually developed his own style of double-lock boxes, which he says sell better than the one-lock, swivel-lid Shaker boxes. He found he was the only craftsman making them in the lower Midwest, and his main market was in St. Louis, Missouri. The double-lock boxes are sturdy; locks on each side of the box are different sizes, so the lid is always properly aligned before locking.
On Display
After Polly’s passing a couple of years ago, Marion relocated to New Stanton, Pennsylvania, where his daughter, Dr. Susan Sommers, resides. Susan is a history professor at St. Vincent’s College in Latrobe.
Marion lives next door to his daughter in a house she purchased with Marion’s retirement in mind. But he is far from retirement, as one can see from his works in the G Squared Gallery.
Be sure to notice the hinges on the boxes Marion creates. They are glued to withstand many openings and closures without failure. Many of the handles on the boxes are made of bentwood, and the original design of continuous bentwood found on many of his sculptures is used for the box handles. The beginning or the end of the bentwood on the sculptures and the handles is difficult to see because of Marion’s skillful design. Many boxes have stitched closures or dowel closures to secure the box; the closures expand and contract with the weather. Marion focuses on the details and adheres to the traditional designs as much as possible to create a box that withstands the test of time while being practical and durable.
Marion spends occasional days at the gallery talking to Sandra and her employees when he brings some of his latest creations for sale. He gladly shares a lifetime of personal stories with visitors and is available at the annual Artists in the Gallery event at the G Squared Gallery.
Marion related a story of being at a craft show with no power. He had to develop a saw that ran manually with a foot pedal. As a joke, consistent with his personality, he plugged an extension cord into a pumpkin and ran the cord to his foot-driven saw. Some people asked, much to Marion’s delight, if the power came from the pumpkin. Others just looked on quizzically.
One of the last things he told me was his credo: A person must have goals. Write them down and work toward them no matter what happens. It’s sage advice from a craftsman who is well-traveled with a lot of personal success.
For More
G Squared Gallery
121 E. Main St.
Ligonier, PA 15658
724-238-8083
Traditional Bentwood Products
Marion W. Mitchell
105 Mill St.
New Stanton, PA 15672
618-549-3547
