Shaping trees to make living art | Oregon Art Beat

Richard Reames grows trees into fantastical shapes-peace signs, words, even a boat.
His creations take decades, and it might be five years before he learns that a piece just won't work. But it also took decades for this southern Oregon artist to discover that this was his path.
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[@ToadalSimplicity]

The self watering tree made me chuckle. Such a cool idea to experiment with.

[@johnferradino]

This is so fascinating to me. I wonder if an entire house could be grown with enough patience. One day when I get some land, I'm going to give it a try.

[@TheWanderingFinnegan]

I just commented about a guy who is growing his house.

[@Guaca-moe-lee]

You have done a good thing for our planet. Humanity appreciates you, Very inspiring. Im 31 years old and just started working on my living tee pee, its a "tree pee", my plan is to live in it 10 years from now.

[@TheZenDruid_OftheMist]

I mean this in the kindest way. You remind me of a dryad or fairy. Your trees are amazing. May you tree ever grow verdant and lovely.

[@transformtransmitt]

Oh my goodness, How wonderful! I absolutely love and admire your art-- I have a deep desire in ny heart to work with living plants to create art. I've had a tiny taste of it- and have wondered about doing more. You are so inspiring, and I hope you have more video to share!

[@Namaste..]

Wonderful wonderful story!

[@eckosters]

Awesome! I’ve been stumbling around with a living fence (which supports my hops), the fence blew over in a recent storm, at first I was devastated but now that I’ve been learning about all this kind of landscape art, I’ve decided it’s an opportunity. Thank you, so inspiring!

[@time2see192]

I love the story about the friends that went in on a plot of land then divided it up! I'd love to hear more about that story. How many people are still there, community gardens, or any community projects...? That would be so awesome!

[@Arborsmith]

It was a piece of land that was subdivided. Everyone owned their own property. 30 years later only one piece out of 9 changed hands.

[@MARK175601]

Ohh waoww what a beautiful passion you have practiced for these many years, I congratulate you and thank you for practicing your tecnique with us! My neighbor was just talking to me about someone he knew and that he was bending the trees to make passages in his forest, and his questioned me a lot about the results it could give!! Thanks again .🌲😉👌🌳

[@alkalinedivide]

Oh man imagine a Great Redwood national park with trees similarly shaped. Future generations would be confused and amazed

[@littlebrookreader949]

W O N D E R F U L. JUST WONDERFUL. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@mayetromero8703]

Salute!

[@susiefairfield7218]

Love it Do this as well with lowquat trees, they're very pliable

[@dharmikamusic]

Lovely interview!

[@jaymeelk9380]

Beautiful, like coppicing used to be a better sustainable supply for wood, trees love to grow and expect to be ate back by animals, so this is awesome, and I knew I kept that shovel head for something!

[@victoriassecretisluv]

Ive always imagined trees grown as pillars at corners to support a house .

[@AMPProf]

Almost make ya wonder if were really just plants

[@AMPProf]

Chickens eggs??? Naww beans and trees lol

[@qqqqqq7531]

you need to check out the "platanenkubus" by ferdinand ludwig. It's amazing

[@guerrillapress7343]

🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁 genius.

[@jaymzgaetz2006]

Great. So how much for a skyscraper made from oregon coastal redwood?

[@lisaweakley7883]

Awesome

[@krodkrod8132]

I'm getting ready to make a willow fence in a 20 foot diameter circle. I'm going to criss cross weave willow branches until its about 15 feet tall. After that I'm going to let it grow together as a giant woven tree with a seating area inside. It's going to be the center piece in my back yard. I have a few hundred cuttings off some young trees i just took last weekend. They are all about 12 feet long. Just waiting for the roots. I might overwinter them in my garage so they're stronger and plant them next spring. Once the roots sprout, i put them in 24 inch thick cardboard shipping tubes. I usually keep them damp all winter on the last batch i did for my fence and the cardboard survived. You can just plant the cardboard tubes and not disturb the roots. It makes it easy if your trying to get certain angles.

[@qugnf5j]

I’m going to do this as well ❤😊

[@allissonmueller2342]

Is it just me or is this just like the movie..the human centipede

[@sugarpink4483]

What this technique called?

[@ToadalSimplicity]

Some keywords you could search for are: Arborsculpture, pleaching, tree shaping, inosculation, espalier

[@Василий-э2ц4б]

Это не бонсай. А просто топиарии. (Исскуство формирования растений)

[@jackhandma1011]

Most simple family tree in Alabama:

[@tuanas458]

Ok I know he didn't just make a tree grow into a chair! lol

[@dasarath5779]

so he just stuck the shovel head into the ground and the tree started growing around it like that? i genuinely dont understand if its like that

[@Arborsmith]

You slip a tool head over a sapling in the winter.

[@dasarath5779]

@@Arborsmith which way up?

[@Arborsmith]

@@dasarath5779 The point of tool must point down. Trees dont push up out of the ground, they simply get thicker and grow from their tips.

[@dasarath5779]

@@Arborsmith ah thanks!

[@julesverne2509]

This art isn't new. This is what bonsai are and they have been made for thousands of years.

[@j.a4751]

Moot

[@undefinednull5749]

He mentioned this along with other things in the video, watch before commenting!

[@Vera-n7l2c]

If you would watch Minute 1.20 he touches on related forms of treeshaping like Bonsai, and from minute 5.20 he talks about the rich history of this particular craft. No one said it is new. It is pretty cool though

[@caseypetty3052]

what’s your point?

[@julesverne2509]

oh my bad, I thought this was the internet where assholes can say the first thing that pops in their brain..... was I wrong? @@caseypetty3052

[@CatherineKeehn-l6k]

I disagree. You have taken a majestic tree and manipulated it into a bent, twisted cartoon shape of itself. Each their own I guess. I like natural.

[@r8chlletters]

I think it’s a fine line between an appreciation for natural form and showing how trees can be shaped. Bonsai is an art that demonstrates both and respects the tree and what it is willing to do. I think I’d rather plant trees that could form a natural corridor than strap them down for an aesthetic to please people. But that’s just me. I’m happy to marvel at how plants in their natural state manage to demonstrate some beautiful and unexpected things.

[@kimberlyryan8618]

So you said you can make a house out of spliced living trees. Where are those projects? When the piece of furnature is created with the saplings, do you cut the root bases off of the trees? If you don't, the tree chair will turn into a giant trunk ball of a trees! Another video i just watched must have taken your worlds seriously that spliced trees can make walls for a house! Neither you or he show the end results of your tree wall houses! Are you trying to push nonsense into peoples' heads? Tree saplings only turn into giant trees! The jungle trees of the tropics consume the stone temples there!

[@Arborsmith]

Actual I said arborsculpture is the art shaping of live trees into things, houses, walls... So I did not say I could grow a weather tight house out of spliced trees. I believe if enough people put their minds to the idea It could be done, but going to moon was nonsense, once upon a time.