New Studio at Bergamot Station

Oroville Bastogne Tree

100 years to grow and 3 long days to meticulously remove.

THis Bastogne Walnut tree found me through an interwoven network of friends, arborists, and fellow woodworkers.

It is fairly common, among those who work with natural materials, that one is asked about the morality of removing something from where it came into existence and transforming it into whatever form or object one desires. WHether it be a glorious tree that has lived several centuries, a magestic mountain that emerged across millennia, or a creature that evolved from a single cell organism over megaannums. in regards to trees, which i am more personally involved with, I can say that one must think of all outcomes that may result from simply leaving a tree to stand as it begins to age, decay, and eventually die. Is it perfectly healthy and far from completing its expected lifecycle? will the decaying of this tree feed a Microecosystem? will its falling branches cause harm to its neighboring environment? is a dead or decaying tree more functional as a relic of its former glory or reimagined into something new?

In regards to this specific tree, I refused it several times before being convinced by a few simple facts/realities. The tree had dropped a limb on the private land owner’s horse shed and nearly killed her horse. Additionally, it had started showing signs of a fungal disease and had a small area of rot began forming. Lastly, the owner simply did not want to risk another limb falling and possibly crushing her family or animals and was going to have it removed by whomever was willing to do the work. I offered her the option of paying an advance to keep the tree alive and in its place until its health began to decline further, but my offer was declined for the above reasons. As such, i decided to make the most of this magnificent tree, and preserve the memory of its existence by transforming it into the most beautiful collection of furniture and sculpture that I am capable of producing.

WHILE THE TREE WAS BEING REMOVED, LIMB BY LIMB, I THOUGHT OF THE PRODUCTION THAT WAS CHOREOGRAPHED TO MAKE IT ALL POSSIBLE. HOWEVER THE TREE CAME INTO EXISTENCE. THE PROXIMITY TO THE RIVINE ACROSS THE STREET THAT ALLOWED IT TO GROW SO DAMN LARGE. THE LANDOWNER WITH THE CRUSHED HORSE SHED. THE ARBORIST WHO OFFERED TO REMOVE THE TREE A DECADE PRIOR. THE PHONE CALL BY MY OLD SUPPLIER WHO CONNECTED ME WITH THE ARBORIST. MY CLIENT/INVESTOR WHO WAS WILLING TO EMBARK ON THIS JOURNEY WITH ME. PG&E WHO WAS INVOLVED IN TRIMMING THE LIMBS THAT WERE WEAVING THROUGH NEARBY POWER LINES. THE PARTIALLY DEAF CRANE OPERATOR (FROM A CRANE ACCIDENT) WHO WORKED SEEMINGLY EFFORTLESSLY IN TANDEM WITH THE LUMBERJACK WHO LOOKED AND ACTED LIKE KEITH RICHARDS. THE 5 TRUCK DRIVERS WHO DRAGGED PILES OF TWISTED, WATER SATURATED, SEVERAL TON TRUCKLOADS ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIP OF CALIFORNIA. AND MYSELF, WHO SIMPLY WATCHED ALL THE GEARS TURN AND THE SECOND CHAPTER OF THE TREE’S LIFE UNFOLDING.

Commune Table

Corset Table No.1 - Live Edge California Claro Walnut Dining Table with Glass

Our clients, in Chicago, catapulted us away from our comfort zone by choosing a slab with a significantly decayed live edge.  We had total freedom to design a solution that would make the live edge functional.  Photos: Sean Miller

Attacked and decayed by fungus, the live edge was left rotten and "punky", a consistency similar to styrafoam.  It also created a beautiful canyon like texture that we wanted to maintain and highlight.

We chose to add a recessed, hand cut bronze glass sheet, supported by two brass "corsets" that emerge from within the slab to the decayed live edge.

The space between the glass and decayed live edge became a stunning space of textured reflections.

The brass "corsets" can be inlaid with two different orientations.  For those who prefer the corset to have more of a presence, here is the other side.