spool donkey
Designed and carved in 1983 by Elmar Schultes
The Artist
At the age of 15, Elmar Schultes left his German home to apprentice as a chef. He became proficient as a culinary sculptor during 20 years in the hotel business.
In 1960, he came to Vancouver to live, and filled the prestigious position of executive chef at Trader Vic's (Bayshore Hotel). There, he was commissioned to carve 18 large cedar figures for the company's restaurants in Canada and the United States.
Schultes' popular red cedar and fine figures (some of which have been purchased for members of visiting Trade Commissions) demonstrate both the artist's sensitivity and a liveliness in the characters he carves.
The Art
Carved in the shadow of the historic Chemainus waterwheel, this monumental sculpture now welcomes visitors to the centre of town.
The carving is based on the first mural to be painted in Chemainus, Frank Lewis' Steam Donkey At Work. The three-dimensional cedar depiction shows the Dolbeer steam donkey, built in San Francisco in 1882. The engine was a concave drum on which the cable, held by the well-gloved hands of the “spool-tender”, was wound, thus drawing the log from the woods. The cable was then retracted by a “horse-line”. Next Page >.