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Don Green

Diamond Willow Canes 

Carvers (from left to right) Hilary Cole, Don Green, Gary Teaney and Garold Engel had a great time together gathering willows and carving canes during the apprenticeship.

Diamond willow cane carving is a specialty of the Upper Midwest and western Canada, where certain varieties of willow form diamond-shaped blisters after their branches are infected by a fungus. Don Green of Rapid City says he’s always had a gift of manual dexterity and an artistic eye, which he used in his business as a metal fabricator and later in a wood carving shop he owned. 

Don started carving in about 1980 and was influential in starting the Hay Camp Woodcarvers Club of Rapid City. For his apprentices he chose three other members of the club—Hilary Cole, Garold Engel and Gary Teaney—who expressed interest in learning this regional art form. 

The four men, all retired, spent many happy days exploring in the Black Hills and around Belle Fourche for willow sticks, and then working together on carving techniques. They use power drills with various bits to carve around the diamonds and highlight them, then add other carvings of their own choosing—animals, leaves, flowers or geometric designs—to express their own artistic vision. All of them emphasize that the canes or walking sticks are made to be used, and Don did use one of his canes after hip surgery in the spring of 2003. 

Don and his apprentices have now started teaching other members of the club about diamond willow carving, so this tradition is alive and well in western South Dakota.

Don Green uses an electric dremel tool to carve around the diamonds on his willow canes.  . Garold Engel, Gary Teaney, Don Green and Hilary Cole

 

 

 

The South Dakota Arts Alive website is a joint effort of the South Dakota Arts Council and South Dakotans for the Arts. The organizations work together for the benefit of the arts in South Dakota.

South Dakotans for the Arts, SD Alliance for Arts Education and SD Community Arts Network
405 Glendale Drive, P.O. Box 414, Lead SD 57754 • Telephone: (605) 722-1467 • Fax: (605) 722-1473
Email: soda@rushmore.com  • Website:
www.sdarts.org