Cypress Furniture

Sorry for such an absence. I was organizing my photos this afternoon and I found quite a bit that I wanted to share. While we were in Taipei, Taiwan last fall we visited a friend of a friend (follow that?) who collects cypress.

The horizontal trunk in the background is actually hollowed six feet in the center.

This piece was on a rotating podium - just beautiful! I am told the knots are from the tree weathering storms, housing nests and growing precariously on a cliff side. Often the ones that have the "easy life" in the forest are smooth while these knotted ones are cherished for their unique markings. 

 Sorry for the rough photos, I just had a point and shoot with me for the trip. The "sculpture" below was my favorite piece.
 

He had several stories of furniture, trunks, statues, etc. Often time he makes or preserves these pieces himself. Some are even made of trunks that are hundreds of years old, or so he tells me! The trees have all fallen naturally as such ancient forests are preserved by the government. He was telling me that Taiwan is very strict in their preservation. He has traveled to Japan frequently because the Japanese government is even more strict in their attempts to preserve virgin forest lands. His personal obsession has grown so much that Taiwan just awarded him "museum" status to preserve his collection so he can open it to the public.

photos by me, please credit if you borrow, thanks!