Kansas Flint Hills Prairie Fire Thumbsticks, Hiking Sticks from Black Walnut, Elk & Deer Antler

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Cane Serial Number #2008-24 – green composite malachite, “email me for more information”

Cane Serial Number #2008-25 – aqua composite turquoise, SOLD, in Emporia, KS

Cane Serial Number #2008-26 – Elk antler crown (GONE), in New Braunfels, TX

Height for each of these Hiking Thumb Sticks is 55.5 inches.

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.

You can reach me by emailing to:
[email protected]

Or you can visit the DeCou Website

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Project Story:
I recently showed a collection of my work at a private “fire party”, which is a gathering of folks coming to this area to have a Flinthill’s Tallgrass Prairie Fire burning experience. This has become pretty popular with recent publicity from the Wall Street Journal, the National Geographic Magazine, Public Broadcasting Service television shows, and numerous newspaper articles about this area.

These Fire Party experiences are offered each Spring by a local rancher, who enjoys teaching and meeting tourists who enjoy the area’s history, and the natural conservation that prairie fires provide the grass slopes and valleys of the Kansas Flinthills in which I live.

They come together for a big party, with a camp fire, chuck wagon style chef-made food, a handful of local artists and artisans selling things, cowboy poetry, great live western music, and of course, plenty of prairie fires. After the proper education and instruction, the tourists are allowed to be a part of the fire burning, and so they work along the fire lines to tend the fire, and make sure that all of the areas are burned, the fence posts are saved, and the fires are all safely put out at the end. It was quite an exciting time, and a good sized group of wondeful folks visited from all over the United States.

The wood I used is Kansas Flinthill’s Black Walnut. The display stand is also walnut and whitetail deer antler. The Stick Heights are 55.5”

To fit the event, I carved “fire” on the bottom of the walking sticks.

To accent the carved fire, I did a little painting. Who said you can’t paint walnut?

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I wrapped leather around the handle.

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I used Kansas natural shed elk and whitetail antlers for the top caps.

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I added some Scrimshaw Artwork and Lettering on Two of the Sticks

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Care to be a part of the Fire Party next time?

”Flames in the Flint Hills”
Contact: Mr. Jan Jantzen
Grandview Ranch
151 Road 130
Emporia, KS 66801
website: www.kansasflinthillsadventures.com

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Awesome Ranch Food, Cooking Classes, Catering, and Cowboy Retreat Hosting:
Gwen and Josh Hoy
Rt 1, Box 11, Cedar Point, KS 66843
Phone: 620.274.4357
www.flying-w-ranch.net

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Original Kansas Cowboy Poetry:
Ron Wilson – Poet Lariat
www.ronscowboypoetry.com

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Flint Hills Ranch
Experience the Tallgrass Prairie Ranch Tours
www.flinthillsranch.com

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Hand Made Clay and Pottery:
Clay Artist Larry Matson
Cottonwood Falls, KS
http://www.flyoverpeople.net/news/index.php/archive/humble-clay/
http://www.flyoverpeople.net/news/index.php/archive/larry-matson-2/

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Laser Engraved Flinthilll’s Original Photography
“Flinthills Laser Expressions”
www.flinthillslaserexpressions.com

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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.

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.

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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