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Handcarved Folk-Art Walnut Smiling Wood Spirit Walking Cane with Elk Antler Handle & Scrimshaw Art

Project by Mark A. DeCou posted 540 days ago 4095 views 0 times favorited 14 comments Add to Favorites Watch

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This walking cane has been SOLD and shipped to Cheshire, MA USA.

Cane Serial Number: #2008-04
Height: 34.25”

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Welcome Surfers:
If you are surfing looking for a special walking cane on the internet, go toward the bottom of this posting where you’ll find a list of canes that I have built that are ready to ship immediately. Also, there are links to several more customized canes that have already been sold to give you ideas for your own commissioned cane.

New Slide Show: I’ve added a new Slide Show below to show examples of other cane styles I’ve done.

You can reach me by emailing to:

mark@decoustudio.com

Or you can Click here to visit the DeCou Studio Website

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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.

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Cane Sample Slideshow: To hear Music, click the Speaker Icon

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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.

Handmade Finished Canes For Sale, Ready to Ship Now:

ETSY.com Online Shop Inventory: Click Here to Visit my Cane Inventory Page

Some Cane that are Unsold:
  1. Folk-Art Carved Wood Spirit Hiking Stick, Serial N0. 2009-06
  2. Folk-Art Carved Pirate Face Cane -Serial No. 2005-16
  3. Folk-Art Carved Mountain Man Face Cane -Serial No. 2006-03
  4. Fancy Barley Twisted Ebonized Oak & Elk Antler Cane, Serial No. 2009-05
  5. Rustic Natural Walking Stick, Nanny McPhee Movie Inspired, Serial No. 2009-07
  6. Fancy Dress Cane, Curly Ambrosia Maple Handle with Black Spiral Shaft, Serial No. 2008-21
  7. Fancy Dress Cane, Walnut Bamboo Inspired Shaft, Buffalo Horn Laminated Handle, Serial No. 2008-23
  8. Scrimshaw Artwork Walnut Cane -Serial No. 2008-08
  9. Red Oak/Black Lacquered Twisted Cane -Serial No. 2008-14
  10. Red Oak Barley Twist Walking Cane -Serial No. 2008-15
  11. Walnut Ball-Top Dress Cane -Serial No. 2008-06
  12. Walnut Cane with Chrome Ball Knob -Serial No. 2008-20
  13. Carved Thumbstick Hiking Sticks with Composite Malachite -Serial No. 2008-24

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Folk Art & Pop-Art Carved Canes
  1. Bishop’s Carved Walnut Crosier
  2. Nascar’s Jimmie Johnson Themed Walking Cane
  3. Carved Oak Leaf Walking Stick
  4. Folk-Art Smiling Wood Spirit Face Cane w/ Elk Antler Handle
  5. Folk-Art Carved Wood Spirit Hiking Stick
  6. Folk-Art Pirate Carved Face Cane w/ Deer Antler Handle
  7. Cartoon Character Taz, Folk Art One-of-a-kind Art Cane
  8. Sculpted Wood Spirit Face Cane
  9. Folk-Art Wood Spirit Cane w/ Elk Antler Handle & Scrimshaw
  10. Folk Art Mountain Man Face Cane
  11. Shamrock Wood Spirit Irish-Theme Face Cane
  12. Walnut Wood Spirit Face Cane with Antler & Turquoise
  13. Collection of Face Carved Canes
  14. Moses-Inspired Face Carved Cane w/ Antler & Turquoise
  15. Shepherd's Stick, Carved Border Collie Welsh-Style Dog Show Trial Stick
  16. Carved Oak Leaf Walking Cane with Scrimshaw Artwork
  17. Amazing Grace Music Notes Carved Cane
  18. A Lady’s Elegant Red Long-Stem Rose Carved Cane
  19. Prairie Fire Hand-Carved Hiking Thumb Sticks
  20. A Folk-Art Carved Albatross Head & Snake Walnut Cane
  21. Carved Folk-Art Walking Cane; 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' Story Stick with Scrimshaw Artwork-
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Native American Indian Theme Folk-Art Canes
  1. Apache Chief Geronimo Folk-Art Face Cane
  2. Folk Art Native American Face Cane Set
  3. Apache Chief Cochise Folk-Art Face Cane
  4. Folk Art Carved Cane of Shoshone Chief
  5. Indian Guides Chief Big-Red-Cloud Hiking Stick
  6. Apache Chief Cochise #2 Folk-Art Face Cane
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Scrimshaw Artwork Canes
  1. Scrimshaw Art Trophy Buck Deer Head
  2. Scrimshaw Art Walking Cane: Praying Mantis Insect
  3. Scrimshaw Art Walking Cane: Floppy Eared Bunny Face & Walnut Barley Twist
  4. Big & Tall Barley Twisted Oak with Scrimshawn Handle
  5. Walnut & Curly Maple Cane with Scrimshaw
  6. Scrimshaw Art Walnut Cane
  7. Fancy Barley Twist with Scrimshaw Cane
  8. Lady's Dress Cane, Red Oak, Walnut, Black Lacquer, & Scrimshaw Artwork of a Purple Cone Flower
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Natural Sapling/Limb Canes/Sticks
  1. Folk-Art Carved Wood Spirit Hiking Stick
  2. Nanny McPhee Movie-Inspired Crooked Walking Stick
  3. Naturally Twisted Tree Sapling Cane
  4. Naturally Twisted Tree Sapling Walking Stick
  5. Shepherd's Crook Hiking Stick
  6. Black Locust Tree Sapling Walking Stick
  7. Red BirchTree Sapling Hiking Stick
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Fancy Barley-Twist Style Dress Canes
  1. Fancy Barley Twisted Ebonized Oak & Elk Antler Cane, Serial No. 2009-05
  2. Big & Tall Walnut & Maple Barley Twist Custom Cane
  3. Big & Tall Red Oak and Antler with Scrimshaw Monogram
  4. White Oak Barley Twist Cane
  5. Osage Orange Barley Twist Cane
  6. Walnut & Figured Maple Barley Twist cane
  7. Black Walnut and Spalted Sycamore Barley Twist
  8. Red Oak Barley Twist with Black Lacquer
  9. Red Oak Barley Twist with Walnut Handle
  10. Dress Cane, Oak Barley Twist with Walnut Ring
  11. Bryan's Cane, The Start of my Cane Journey
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Fancy Dress Style Canes
  1. Pink Ivory and Elk Antler Dress Walking Stick
  2. Coiled Ribbon Twisted Spalted White Oak with Walnut Handle
  3. Polished Black Steer Horn Upright Walking Stick
  4. Mexican Bocote Wood, Elk Antler Handle with Hand-Wrought Fine Silver End Caps
  5. Fancy Walking Cane, Camphor Burl, Maple, Bubinga, Whitetail Deer Antler, Inlays & Silver End Caps
  6. Custom Dress-Up Walking Cane, Walnut shaft with a Camphor Burl Handle
  7. Walnut & Buffalo Horn Twisted Cane
  8. White Birch & Buffalo Horn Twisted Cane
  9. Walnut Bamboo-Style Cane with Chrome Ball Top
  10. Walnut & Buffalo Horn Dress Cane
  11. Bird's Eye Maple Cane
  12. Spalted Sycamore Walking Cane
  13. Walnut Tall Knob Top Opera Cane
  14. Zebrawood & Walnut Knob Top Opera Cane
  15. Dress Cane Set, with several Material Options Shown
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What is Scrimshaw Artwork?:
A Scrimshaw Art Journey: What it is & How to Do it; Five Simple Steps to Success
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Click here to go to My Website page with Walking Canes

I usually have a few canes in stock at:
  1. Hatman Jack’s Wichita Hat Works in Wichita, Kansas
  2. Hutchinson Art Center in Hutchinson, Kansas
  3. Prairie Past Times Antiques & Crafts in Cottonwood Falls, Kansas

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.”

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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.

Click for details

Sadly, I also built him a casket, another first for me, about a year later

Click for details

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.

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Still Want to See more of my work?

Start with each of these links, and they will take you to other organized lists of my other niche products:

  1. Custom Knives
  2. Custom Art-Furniture I've Built
  3. Artisan Hat Making Tools

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(This text, all photos, project design, are protected by copyright 2007-2009, M.A.DeCou, all rights reserved and protected, ask permission first! Weblinks to this page are permitted)

-- Mark DeCou - American Contemporary Craft Artisan - www.decoustudio.com


14 comments so far

View Scott Bryan's profile

Scott Bryan

20518 posts in 713 days


posted 540 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.

View Roger Strautman's profile

Roger Strautman

534 posts in 1024 days


posted 540 days ago

Yep this one is my favorite! Very nice carving and scrim work!

-- " All Things At First Appear Difficult"

View trifern's profile

trifern

7894 posts in 658 days


posted 540 days ago

I love the personality of this one Mark. Thank you for sharing.

-- My favorite piece is my last one, my best piece is my next one.

View Karson's profile

Karson

25786 posts in 1291 days


posted 540 days ago

Another great cane Mark. great job on the carvings.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

View CharlieM1958's profile

CharlieM1958

7591 posts in 1109 days


posted 540 days ago

Amazing facial features!

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

View CedarFreakCarl's profile

CedarFreakCarl

565 posts in 944 days


posted 540 days ago

Incredible Mark! Your artistic skills are amazing.

-- Carl Rast, Pelion, SC

View Allison's profile

Allison

652 posts in 689 days


posted 540 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!

View teenagewoodworker's profile

teenagewoodworker

2479 posts in 659 days


posted 540 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.

View Todd A. Clippinger's profile

Todd A. Clippinger

5632 posts in 990 days


posted 540 days ago

That is good stuff brother!

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

View WayneC's profile (online now)

WayneC

5950 posts in 988 days


posted 540 days ago

Wonderful as always. I would love to have one.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

View Napaman's profile (online now)

Napaman

3482 posts in 968 days


posted 540 days ago

that is amazing…

-- Matt, Napa, CA...fun is beautiful...just trying to have some fun...

View jockmike2's profile

jockmike2

7296 posts in 1137 days


posted 538 days ago

Love the character. Looks like an Irishman. mike

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

View darryl's profile

darryl

1392 posts in 1217 days


posted 537 days ago

I really like these wood spirit canes. the flowing beards are great.
your work is truly amazing.

-- www.darrylmasterson.com ~ www.darrylmasterson.etsy.com

View Schummie's profile

Schummie

121 posts in 656 days


posted 511 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.

-- Greetings from the Netherlands.

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