Roger Donaldson: Walking Stick Artist

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS BY BEV DAVIES

I first heard of the walking stick artist, Roger Donaldson of Washington, D.C., after the stained glass artist, Bev Davies of Midlothian, Va., met him. (See Folk Art Messenger, Winter/Spring 2021.) Bev was excited about Donaldson’s art and his story of personal redemption, and he wanted me to meet the artist. My first conversation with Roger was on the phone. Later, Bev and I traveled to Washington to meet and interview him. Roger and his girlfriend welcomed us to their home with open arms. There was an array of walking sticks displayed, each one different. This craftsman exuded peace, and we were instantly aware that we were in the company of someone special.

Roger’s call to be an artist came, not like Moses’ dramatic summons at the burning bush, but from a keen sense of calm, a “relief,”as he says. Roger was addicted to crack cocaine and was upset with a money issue one day, when he wandered into the woods. He picked up a stick and wasn’t sure at first what it meant. After returning to the woods a second time, he said he saw “the stick was still there.” He felt that God was giving him a message to carve it. After he prayed over it, he knew exactly how to shape it.

While he was still under the influence of crack, Roger developed a routine of carving sticks, staffs and canes. When his brother suggested that Roger name his new enterprise, he decided to call it “Art on Wood.” He doesn’t advertise online but rather by word of mouth. Much of the time he gives away his creations and has sold only a few pieces. His main source of income is at the National Gallery of Art, an institution where he has worked steadily since the age of 17, part of the time under the influence of drugs. He has had a variety of roles there – dish washing, prep work, cooking and catering. Now, at the age of 65, he says he plans to retire soon. This will give him the opportunity to do more art. As for his drug use, Roger has been clean and sober for more than 20 years.

Roger says he does not start carving or sanding a stick until he has prayed over it. While he is in this meditative state, he visualizes the idea and implementation of the art and rarely deviates from his plan. He works on one walking stick at a time, and it usually takes three days for him to complete it. Each stick is different, he says, and sometimes it is for a particular person and in other cases, the shape of the wood itself dictates his design.

Donaldson chooses yellow pine for his sticks because it is soft in the middle and can be easily shaped. Many tools are used to create his works of art – steak knives, burners, rods, cutters and some paint. Sometimes he photocopies images from books and glues the copies to the sticks.

Drilling or carving has to be done carefully so that the wood will hold up as a walking stick. Soft wood could crumble if the support is compromised. Roger will use harder wood in some cases to add handles to the sticks or to make staffs that need complicated drilling or burning.

During the COVID days of 2020, the National Gallery was closed, and Roger had plenty of time to do his art. During the same year, the “Black Lives Matter” movement took place after the death of George Floyd. Roger made copies of the “Black Lives Matter” signs from books and affixed them along with COVID masks to a stick.

Some projects take more skill. On one piece, Roger cut out a maze design with a steak knife and added the colors, “blazing blue,” gold and white. After drilling the solid wood, he put a light in it with string. This intricate work took over a week to finish.

Roger also carves sticks in memory or in honor of other people. His friend Ray died of carbon monoxide poisoning in 2023. Roger designed sticks for each of Ray’s three sons, each decorated with Ray’s photo and with a blue theme. He has invited the sons to pick them up but, so far, they have not.

One year, while Roger was working at the National Gallery, a colleague’s 27-year-old son died suddenly. The other employees collected cash for the woman, but Roger’s gift was a stick made especially for her. At the bottom was the son’s name and the line, “Jesus and his love.” The wood was bedecked with the colors gold, purple and white. Roger felt that his kindness had a positive effect on the woman as well as on the other employees.

He has had run ins with the legal system, both as a victim and as a perpetrator. While on drugs, he cashed a bad check that another addict gave him, and he was arrested. He appeared before Judge Satterfield in Washington, D.C. The judge saw Roger’s potential and sent him to the drug rehabilitation center, Second Genesis, instead of sentencing him to six to ten years in prison. In this 12-step program, Roger completed his duties in four weeks instead of the six he was assigned.

Unfortunately, he started “using” again, but was desperate to stop and enlisted law enforcement to help him find treatment. He looked into several programs, including a seven-day treatment plan in the jail. He was turned down because he didn’t “look like an addict,” that is, he seemed too neat and put-together. Ultimately he stopped his drug use on his own and credits his religious faith for helping him overcome the habit. He prayed long and hard one day, and the next morning he felt a sense of peace and an assurance that he wouldn’t use again.

Twice Roger was the victim of hit-and-run drivers while he was on his bike. The first time he was hospitalized for his injuries. On neither occasion did police conduct a thorough investigation of the crimes. He felt that, in these cases, he was not respected by the legal system.

Creating walking sticks and staffs has been Roger’s main focus, but recently he has wanted to expand his “Art on Wood” projects, including using big pieces of wood to carve and assemble chairs. In his aunt’s backyard, part of a tree had to be cut down. He could see that this large piece could be used for chairs. In the meantime, Roger had another design in mind for the remaining part of the tree. He drilled holes in the trunk, wired lights in the holes and carved the word, “Friends,” at the bottom. He calls it the “family tree.” He completed it in time for the most recent family reunion, and the tree was a warm greeting to all assembled.

In addition to his “Art on Wood” vocation, Roger is a musician and played the drum and sang for a reggae band named “Ex-Slave in Motion.” The band played for many events, including for a revival by Muslim activist Louis Farrakhan. Eventually the group broke up because of illegal drug issues and personality conflicts. He still plays the drum for relaxation.

Roger has a girlfriend, two adult children, two younger children (aged 7 and 14), five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He advises a grandson who wants to be an actor, “Don’t brag about anything. Make it happen!”

Roger Donaldson takes this mantra to heart for his own life. He is centered in God’s love and says that he is “completely at peace.” Roger Donaldson plans to provide for himself and his family and create prayerful art until he no longer takes breath. Until that time, he has much to do!