Walkingsticks, canes, and staffs have been a part of human society since the beginning of civilization. Throughout the ages, we have shaped the simple piece of wood into many religious, military, and governmental symbols. Ancient Christian and Buddhist texts refer to the staff, and Eygptian tombs and Assyrian reliefs are adorned with pictures of Pharaohs and priest-kings with staves denoting their power and rank. Moses parted the Red Sea with his staff, and the Popes of Rome carry the shepard's crook, fixed with gold and jewels. Robin Hood befriended Little John after a battle with staves. Even Peter Rabbit has been seen with a cane.
The Seventeeth and Eighteenth centuries saw a rise in fashionable canes for men and women, and today the staff, cane, and walkingstick still play an important role in the lives of outdoor enthusiasts, kings, the elderly, the mighty, and the interested.I have been making and collecting walkingstick, canes, and staves for fifteen years now. People have seen them mostly here in the States but as far away as South America and Europe. They started out as gifts but interest grew outside the circumference of my friends and family, and since that time I have been making them for others: husbands, wives, lovers, grandparents, friends, preachers, Sunday school teachers, and children.
Each piece is different, no two alike, though they have some similiarities in the design and the fact that each contains a quotation. Bible verses, prayers, songs, children's stories, family geneologies, poems, selections from classical and modern literature, all have found their way onto a walkingstick, cane, or staff at one time or another. The client chooses the type of stick and what they want the quotation to be. Sometimes a secret message is incorporated into the design for a more personal feel.Each piece is named and the season and year of completion are found at the top of the stick. Handpicked poplar or birch saplings are used. The designs are woodburned on the stick, painted, and then three coats of finish are added to keep the gift from scratching and paint from chipping.
It would be my honor to make one for you or work with you to design a walkingstick for a loved one.
Fletcher
Beautiful Collectibles
Canes and Walking Sticks
CaneQuest
Folk Art Canes
Folk Art Canes Info
Wikipedia Definition
History of Canes
How to Choose a Cane
In Praise of ...
Partial List of Sticks and Owners
Apollo, Summer 1992 - Carter Hipp
Jonathon - Summer 1990 - Paul Pradat
Moonstick - Summer 1992 - Carter Hipp
Silas - Summer 1990 - Ray Henderson
Sigil - Summer 1992 - Scott Laager
Althea - Summer 1990 - Rev. Goldsmith
Terrace - Summer 1991 - Thomas Nolan
Issac - Fall 1993 - Scears Harper
Ruth - Fall 1991 - Jo Ann Deak
Bartolome - Summer 1990 - John McCall
Tym - Summer 1992 - Jessie Hill
Kim2 - Fall 1991 - Joel Borgman
Crook - Summer 1992 - Allen Cattier
Johnathon - Winter 1991 - Virginia Murray
McQuaide - Summer 1991 - Gail Rogin
Rosetti - Winter 1991 - Charity Nelson
Malik - Summer 1992 - unknown buyer
Christopher - Summer 1991 - Paige Adair
Llama - Summer 1992 - Ferris Camp
Meriweather - Summer 1990 - Ashley Martin
Azul - Summer 1992 - Every Camp
Mapasinque - Spring 1992 - Dede McCall
Stern - Summer 1992 - Hege Abrahamsen
Nathaniel - Winter 1991 - Jack Walton
Aster - Summer 1992 - Mitch Lyons
Malachi - Summer 1991 - Emily Brown
Fuller - Summer 1992 - Sandee Glozier
Matilda - Winter 1991 - Terri Fiedler
Martin - Summer 1991 - Charlie Nalle
Holmes - Spring 1992 - Stephen Dann
Edgar - Summer 1992 - J. Jenkins
Jim - Spring 1991 - Grandma Comer
Bilbo - Summer 1992 - Henry Bostwick
Water - Fall 1991 - Mrs. Fiedler
Neville - Summer 1992 - Rob Mulroy
Innes - Winter 1991 - Barrrington Clark
Lennon - Summer 1992 - Eunice Gray Wirtz
Peter - Fall 1991 - Eric Jurgensmeir
Estlin - Summer 1992 - Rick Johnson
Fangorn - Winter 1991 - David Crosby
Jarrell - Summer 1992 - Areanne Krauss
Uncle Pete - Fall 1990 - Alan Hawkins
Falvia - Summer 1992 - Barrington Clark
Soloman - Fall 1990 - Jason Groen
Adam - Winter 1991 - Sondra Berse
Isabella Lucy - Fall 1991 - Roya Nassiri
Amos - Summer 1991 - Whitham Slig
Amos - Spring 1991 - Howard Finster
Riley - Summer 1992 - Mads Abrahamsen
Essua - Fall 1991 - Doug Jacobs
Whitman - Summer 1992 - Comer Family
Izo - Winter 1991 - Mr. Izo
Ebenezer - Summer 1991 - Lyn Darden
Ester - Fall 1991 - Carter&Julie Calle
Cane With Green Handle - Summer 1992 - Wendy DeLosier
Ransom - Summer 1990 - Partha Datta
Wilson - Winter 1991 - Andy Laboon
Matthew - Winter 1991 - John Draper
Nathan - Winter 1991 - Jennifer Feathergill
Sisley - Winter 1991 - Leslie Havens
Perrry - Spring 1992 - Bob Gerard
Beatrice - Spring 1992 - Maria Lofgren
Samuel - Summer1992 - Rico Tinsman
Harold - Summer 1991 - Jan Crosby
Magellan - Fall 1992 - Richard Royston
Belle - Summer 1992 - George Waring
Phineas - Fall 1992 - Carter Hipp
Kent - Fall 1992 - Dan Hollis
Jessea - Fall 1992 - Amy Haynes
Roland - Fall 1992 - Stephen Knight
Ibsen - Winter 1992 - Thomas Abrahamsen
Noah - Fall 1992 - Oscar McAden Suit
Miles - Summer 1992 - Lloyd Grable
Allende - Spring 1992 - Rob Skiff
Artemis - Spring 1992 - for Lila
Namaste - Summer 1991 - Ted Dennard
Watokopie - Summer 1993 - Bennet Driggs
River - Spring 1993 - David Capouano
Sadie-Grace - Summer 1993 - John Popper
Abraham - Summer 1993 - John Jakes
Alice - Summer 1993 - Karen Abrahansen
Regal - Fall 1993 - Mike Adant
Saint John - Fall 1993 - Allie Schley
Kelsey - Fall 1993 - Rev. Comer
Martha - Fall 1993 - Judith Comer
Chris - Winter 1994 - John Elder
Shem - Winter 1994 - Stephen King
Eva - Spring 1994 - Teresa Point
Ingrid - Spring 1994 - Hege Abrahamsen
Luna - Winter 1996 - Grifffin Buffkin
Myra - Spring 1996 - Stacey Saye
Atemoux - Spring 1996 - Stephen Rose
Hera - Winter 1996 - Shasta Fays
Gaia - Winter 1996 - Stacey Saye
Hesse - Winter 1996 - Elizabeth Moody
Jody - Winter 1994 - Tom Matthews
