Northwest Flower & Garden Show

Richard Reames

Richard Reames studied botany and horticulture in college and then began work as a landscaper.  He built a 2-story log house for his family from scratch, using dead standing trees.  A lifetime love of nature and a deep respect for trees lead him to take up a unique art form, ‘Arborsculpture.’  He taught himself how to shape tree trunks into almost any shape by planting hundreds of experiments on his Oregon property.  In 1995 he wrote and published How To Grow A Chair. He has lectured about arborsculpture to diverse groups, such as the Master Gardener’s State Convention in Alaska and The High Wycombe College of Furniture Design in England.  His work has appeared in Eden On Their Minds by Starr Ockenga and in numerous magazines, including Landscape Architecture, House Beautiful and Better Homes & Gardens.  His newest book, Arborsculpture – Solutions for a Small Planet, covers the work of arborsculptors around the world with recently discovered historical examples.  Website:  www.arborsmith.com.

Arborsculpture - Grow Your Own Furniture with Living Trees!

Saturday, February 11 at 3:30 pm in the Hood Room

Arborsculpture is the use of the living tree trunk as a medium for art and construction. Young trees are bent and grafted so they grow into all kinds of shapes, from hearts and spirals to chairs and benches, even living gazebos. Learn about the history and contemporary work with living tree trunks from around the world. Learn the basic techniques for growing your own amazing tree trunk art.