Prosperity in Harmony Walkingstick

Prosperity in Harmony 2023

Corkscrew willow, leather lashing and non-endangered avian feather

Billy Logan, Onondaga, Turtle clan

Prosperous Harmony is a walkingstick was for a client wishing for an artist rendering representative of the artist's style infused with a more subtle color scheme than on the artist's normal palette. This rendering was to be in the style of his former works of walkingsticks.

Symbolism

The idea of hummingbirds came to mind. Hummingbirds are often used in Haudenosaunee beadwork as a symbol if intelligence, delicate beauty, and devotion in love. In addition, they are extremely territorial and are fierce fighters and even have symbolic meaning to lacrosse players for their agility.

Wood lilys were added as a symbol of the persevere through challenges by the uses of creative force. Growing in terrain of Woodlands, wood lillys bloom with beautiful colors contrasting their environment and changing the aesthetic value.

As another attribute to the artist's heritage, he employed the use of the meandering stem. This is a Haudenosaunee beadwork design element used to contrast the negative space creating an upward and downward flow. Spiraling deviations from the stem are often used in various indigenous cultural arts. These spirals hold the fibonacci sequence symmetry in growth.

Finally, the topper design was planned. The artist wanted an “axis mundi” symbolism applied. Often referred to as “the navel of the world,” the axis mundi is the connection between heaven and earth. The topper is a carved abstract birds nest with an oversize egg in the middle. This represents the purity of the birth and rebirth. This is where we begin and thus is where we end.

Methodology and Process

First, we obtained a piece of corkscrew willow from a local tree removal contractor near the Tuscarora territory. Corkscrew willow is sought after by walkingstick and cane artist’s for its overtly organic shape.

The artist began with his hybrid style of low relief woodcarving and pyrography working in a predominantly negative space method. This makes the subjects of the piece stand out. The designs were completed and the topper was added to the piece.

Oil paints were used to accentuate the features of the foreground subjects. The background was a stippling technique via pyrography. Once finished, the bird nest topper was secured with epoxy and a leather lashing and feathers were added to the piece.

This was a great project to do and helped expand the skillset ofnthe artist.