A Fascination with Trees

Otto Braun was a Mennonite craftsman from southern Saskatchewan. He grew up loving the outdoors, and was intrigued by the shapes, patterns, and colours he saw in nature. Fascinated with the textures and grains of different types of wood, and how events in a tree’s life would affect its appearance, he spent a lifetime honing his skills as a craftsman and creating many pieces of fine furniture.

When he passed away in 2022, he left behind a large collection of handcrafted items including shoe horns, walking sticks, and bookmarks. These were donated to the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens – a place he and his wife loved to visit – to be sold to others in support of the Gardens, and as a way of celebrating the natural beauty that he so much enjoyed.

Thanks to Otto for this magnificent work, and to his family for this generous donation in his name!

Additional Note of Interest: Otto was careful to label most of his pieces with the type of wood he used. As you browse, you will see the different trees incorporated in his work, as seen on the shoe horns below.