| Project by Mark DeCou | posted 91 days ago | 686 views | 0 times favorited | 14 comments | ![]() |
This walking cane is for sale, email me for more information:
Cane Serial Number: #2008-04
Height: 34.25”
email:
mark@decoustudio.com
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

Project Story:
This is a walking cane I carved out of a piece of walnut wood. The Wood Spirit is grinning, enjoying life. The cane handle is Kansas Elk Natural Shed Antler with synthetic ivory end caps. The back end cap has a scrimshaw art picture of a leaf and a wisdom statement, “Wisdom is the Tree of Life.” The carving has been hand painted with thinned acrylic paints and finished with lacquer. The end tip is a brass ferrell with a replaceable rubber tip.
The display stand is Red Oak.



!http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2395/2532609061_d08d50b018.jpg



Thanks for looking,
Mark DeCou
www.decoustudio.com
—- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
More Walking Sticks & Canes:
If you go to my Mark DeCou Website you won’t find very many canes pictured there. I do realize that I need to invest in improving my website, but until that is accomplished, here are few more of my canes posted at lumberjocks, thanks for your patience.
- Sculpted Wood Spirit Face Cane
- Folk-Art Wood Spirit Cane w/ Elk Antler Handle & Scrimshaw
- Folk Art Mountain Man Face Cane
- Shamrock Wood Spirit Irish-Theme Face Cane
- Walnut Wood Spirit Face Cane with Antler & Turquoise
- Collection of Face Carved Canes
- Moses-Inspired Face Carved Cane w/ Antler & Turquoise
- Folk Art Native American Face Cane Set
- Apache Chief Cochise Folk-Art Face Cane
- Folk Art Carved Cane of Shoshone Chief
- Indian Guides Chief Big-Red-Cloud Hiking Stick
- Apache Chief Cochise #2 Folk-Art Face Cane
- Amazing Grace Music Notes Carved Cane
- A Lady’s Elegant Red Long-Stem Rose Carved Cane
- Prairie Fire Hand-Carved Hiking Thumb Sticks
- A Folk-Art Carved Albatross Head & Snake Walnut Cane
- Carved Folk-Art Walking Cane; 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' Story Stick with Scrimshaw Artwork
- Walnut & Curly Maple Cane with Scrimshaw
- Scrimshaw Art Walnut Cane
- Fancy Barley Twist with Scrimshaw Cane
- Lady's Dress Cane, Red Oak, Walnut, Black Lacquer, & Scrimshaw Artwork of a Purple Cone Flower
What’s Scrimshaw Artwork?:
A Scrimshaw Art Journey: What it is & How to Do it; Five Simple Steps to Success
- Naturally Twisted Tree Sapling Cane
- Naturally Twisted Tree Sapling Walking Stick
- Shepherd's Crook Hiking Stick
- White Oak Barley Twist Cane
- Osage Orange Barley Twist Cane
- Walnut & Figured Maple Barley Twist cane
- Black Walnut and Spalted Sycamore Barley Twist
- Red Oak Barley Twist with Black Lacquer
- Red Oak Barley Twist with Walnut Handle
- Bryan's Cane, The Start of my Cane Journey
- Fancy Walking Cane, Camphor Burl, Maple, Bubinga, Whitetail Deer Antler, Inlays & Silver End Caps
- Custom Dress-Up Walking Cane, Walnut shaft with a Camphor Burl Handle
- Walnut & Buffalo Horn Twisted Cane
- White Birch & Buffalo Horn Twisted Cane
- Walnut Bamboo-Style Cane with Chrome Ball Top
- Walnut & Buffalo Horn Dress Cane
- Bird's Eye Maple Cane
- Spalted Sycamore Walking Cane
- Walnut Tall Knob Top Opera Cane
- Zebrawood & Walnut Knob Top Opera Cane
- Dress Cane Set, with several Material Options Shown
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
I have a few canes in stock at:- Hatman Jack’s Wichita Hat Works in Wichita, KS
- Hutchinson Art Center in Hutchinson, KS
- Cottonwood Mercantile in Cottonwood Falls, KS
You can contact these gallery stores directly and see what they still have in stock. They will ship to you if you buy something. If you prefer, you can also email me, as I keep fairly current on what is “unsold.”
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
Background: My Cane Making Story:
I enjoy sculpting walking canes. Some folks call them Folk-Art Canes, while others call them Artisan Canes, some call them Carved Canes, while others call them Walking Sticks. There is quite a bit of argument about whether something should be called Sculpture or Carving. They could be considered Functional-Art, which is the type of work that I am usually drawn to. No matter what these canes are called, they seem to bring joy to the owners, and I have been asked to make quite a few of them in the past 5-6 years.
I started making canes on the request of a nice married couple I met on a church-building short-term mission trip to Mexico City in the early 1990’s. Several years after our trip, their son-in-law was diagnosed with bone cancer, and so they wanted to get him a specially made cane that he would enjoy using. They had heard from others that I had quit my corporate office job and started doing woodworking full-time. So, they contacted me to make his cane.
Sadly, I also built him a casket, another first for me, about a year later
Since the time I did that first Cane for Bryan, I have enjoyed the work on the canes that I have been able to make, but more importantly, the people that I have been able to meet and help along the journey. I do make a bunch of unique items and furniture, but without a doubt, I receive more correspondence and thank-you cards from cane customers than any of the other items I make, combined. So, they are fun for me to build, and I look forward to each new person and situation.
To keep a handle on all of the memories, I engrave a small serial number on each brass cane tip, and then I keep a detailed database log of each cane, customer, and situation. The list always brings me warm memories each time I scan it and remember the folks that have supported my work over the years, and vice versa.
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
(This text, all photos, project design, and anything else you want to steal, is protected by copyright 2008, M.A.DeCou, all rights reserved and protected, ask permission first! Weblinks to this page are permitted)
-- Mark DeCou - Kansas Flinthill's Artisan
Your Online Shop - Your Support Is Greatly Appreciated - Your Woodworking Showcase - 3 Ways To Help, Financially - Your Woodworking Community



























14 comments so far
Scott Bryan
home | projects | blog
8483 posts in 264 days
posted 91 days ago
This is a very nice cane. The smiling wood spirit adds a nice detail to the cane that is appealing to me personally. I would have to say this would be one of my favorites.
Thanks for the post.
-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.
Roger Strautman
home | projects | blog
487 posts in 575 days
posted 91 days ago
Yep this one is my favorite! Very nice carving and scrim work!
-- " All Things At First Appear Difficult"
trifern
home | projects | blog
3237 posts in 209 days
posted 91 days ago
I love the personality of this one Mark. Thank you for sharing.
-- Depend on the rabbit's foot if you will, but remember it didn't work for the rabbit.
Karson
home | projects | blog
12617 posts in 842 days
posted 91 days ago
Another great cane Mark. great job on the carvings.
-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com
CharlieM1958
home | projects | blog
3958 posts in 660 days
posted 91 days ago
Amazing facial features!
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
CedarFreakCarl
home | projects | blog
319 posts in 495 days
posted 91 days ago
Incredible Mark! Your artistic skills are amazing.
-- Carl Rast, Pelion, SC
Allison
home | projects | blog
291 posts in 240 days
posted 91 days ago
Absolutely Stunning!!! I just cannot believe the workmanship on this face and I see it sooo clearly in a picture.
Beautiful
-- Allison, Northeastern Ca. Remember, Amateurs built the Ark. Professionals built the Titanic!
teenagewoodworker
home | projects | blog
1932 posts in 210 days
posted 91 days ago
that is stunning. there is so much detail in all your work and it is stunning all of the pieces that you put out. thanks for the post.
Todd A. Clippinger
home | projects | blog
2528 posts in 541 days
posted 91 days ago
That is good stuff brother!
-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com
WayneC
home | projects | blog
5689 posts in 539 days
posted 91 days ago
Wonderful as always. I would love to have one.
-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov
Napaman
home | projects | blog
1594 posts in 519 days
posted 91 days ago
that is amazing…
-- Matt, Napa, CA...177 days to sanity...
jockmike2
home | projects | blog
4011 posts in 688 days
posted 89 days ago
Love the character. Looks like an Irishman. mike
-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com
darryl
home | projects | blog
783 posts in 768 days
posted 88 days ago
I really like these wood spirit canes. the flowing beards are great.
your work is truly amazing.
-- ~ www.darrylmasterson.com ~ www.woodworkingdungeon.blogspot.com ~
Schummie
home | projects | blog
32 posts in 207 days
posted 62 days ago
Hello Mark,
It is really unbelievably what you make, it is so beautiful, so carestic, it is really . . . . .
I don’t have the words to say how beautiful I find it.
My father in law (God have its soul) was greasy about beautiful walking sticks,
he collect them, I think when he saw your walking sticks he step direct in he’s car
a came to you (from the Netherlands :-)
Thanks Mark,
Schummie.