Planning "Steps" for a Carved Story Stick, "The Gospel" Commissioned Walking Cane

My recent lumberjock postings of the walking cane work I have done recently has brought a lot of interest from folks wanting me to build them special, unique, elaborately detailed, walking canes and sticks.

This new blog communicates the design process on one cane as I prepare to start the carving, and get approvals on the final design.

The customer is a Youth Pastor, and needs to use a tall walking cane to support a bad knee. He and I have been designing this project for several weeks now, and I’m getting to the point in my backlog where I am about ready to start turning the ideas into actual wood.

Story Sticks, or History Sticks, are a “very” Historic Folk-Art concept where a walking cane, or hiking stick, is carved to depict a story.

Some historical examples portray a person’s life journey, others are about wars, adventures, political processes, and other stories that humans carve from the story of their life. In addition, there are many historical examples of Biblical stories carved into wood to tell the story that the user, or carver, wanted to portray.

The main point of a Story Stick, is for the Cane to prompt others to ask the cane user about the carvings, and then the user gets to tell the story each time. They are also very personal, and rarely are sold, as they become family heirlooms.

In this case, the story of “The Gospel”, is told through the entire Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible summarized in 10 small pictures that I will carve.

The cane will be 38” Tall.

The handle will be Olive Wood. The front and back ends of the handle will have synthetic ivory end caps, with Scrimshaw artwork that I will do.

The tip will be a brass lathe turned tip with a replaceable rubber end.

The Cane Shaft will be Kansas Black Walnut.

Top-Bottom Layout Plan:

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The “Story” will go from the bottom to the top, with ten small carvings, tied together with small carved feet. The small carvings will be painted to bring out the detail, while the walnut shaft will be natural.

1. The Universe/Earth at it’s creation
2. Lady’s Hand Reaching for Forbidden Fruit
3. Noah’s Ark
4. Ten Commandments
5. Tabernacle Tent with Vail Closed
6. Lamb Sacrifice
7. Manger in Bethlehem
8. Crucifixion
9. Empty Tomb
10. Christ’s Return in the Clouds

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Thanks for looking,
Mark DeCou
www.decoustudio.com
email: mark@decoustudio.com

(This project design, all photos, all sketches, and anything else that could possibly be protected, is protected by copyright 2008 by the author M.A. DeCou)

-- Mark DeCou - Kansas Flinthill's Artisan