VAM galleries including this work:
Kentucky Folk Art Center | Go Figure || VAM Home

Many Kentucky folk artists produce canes or walking sticks. And many folk artists everywhere create pieces that portray famous figures such as musicians or United States presidents, who are sometimes referred to as folk “icons.” This painted walking stick includes the figure of country music singer Dolly Parton. The facial features are typical of Carl McKenzie’s figures. The relaxed brushwork creates interesting color patterns, a hallmark of the artist’s later work.

About the Artist

Carl McKenzie was born near Pine Ridge in Wolfe County, Kentucky. As a child, he made animals and small toys. As a young teenager, he worked on a farm near the Red River Gorge and later in a coal mine near Hazard. After quitting the coal mine, he moved back to the Red River Gorge area and took a job driving a truck for a lumber company. All the while, he continued to whittle and carve, producing both utilitarian and decorative items, ranging from letter openers and walking sticks to small sculptures of birds and other animals. In the 1970s, an art dealer noticed McKenzie carving on the front porch of his home near Nada in Powell County, Kentucky, and purchased some of the artist’s pieces. McKenzie had retired from his truck-driving job and had begun carving in earnest, and his sculptures soon became highly sought-after by collectors across the United States.

McKenzie’s work is diverse. He is well known for re-creating dramatic Biblical scenes, particularly his versions of the Garden of Eden and Noah’s ark. His Devil Family sculptures are especially challenging and ambiguous. He is also known for his flat, stylized bird sculptures and for his carvings of female figures, which depict women in a variety of working roles, including nurses, cleaning ladies, and waitresses.

Carl McKenzie suffered from a variety of illnesses following the death of his second wife, Edna, and lived in a nursing home in West Liberty, Kentucky, from 1992 until his death on March 23, 1998.

Classroom Ideas

Discussion: It is common for folk artists to portray figures of famous people in their work, such as musicians, U.S. presidents, and other so-called folk “icons.” Examples of other popular folk icons that show up in Kentucky folk art are George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Elvis Presley, Ronald McDonald, and Uncle Sam. What, if anything, do these characters have in common? Why might they be subjects of interest for folk artists? Does this cane capture a good likeness of Dolly Parton? Was that the main intention of the artist? Compare and contrast this cane with the Alligator, Snake and Woman Cane by Denzil Goodpaster.

Activities: Create a papier-mâché image of a celebrity or historical figure. Attach it to a painted yardstick.

Choose a celebrity or historical figure and search for images of artworks portraying that person. Create a poster showing how your subject has been portrayed by artists.

Links

View images from an exhibition featuring Carl McKenzie’s work at the Ohio Arts Council web site.
[www.oac.state.oh.us/riffe/exhibitions/1996/intime/iotmain.asp]

More works by Carl McKenzie can be seen at the America. Oh, Yes! Folk Art Gallery. The site also includes images of works by many other folk artists and tips on building a folk art collection.
[www.americaohyes.com/index1.html]