The green-tinged slab of timber lying on Mark Bishop's worktable looks nothing like the beautiful golden-toned Huon pine you may be familiar with. But this is no ordinary pine. Bishop estimates it has been buried for up to 10,000 years, and he's even had some carbon dated to 38,000 years – around the same time that humans first arrived in Tasmania.

The local timber suppliers specifically cater to his needs. "They know we're looking for the highest quality tree that they have and, like a gourmet restaurant, you've got to use the best ingredients you can possibly get."

Tasmania's iconic Huon pine links back to the Gondwanan period, 150 million years ago. A champion of sustainable resource management, Bishop sources some of his Huon pine from trees found lying beneath the rainforest floor, but their ancient oils have kept decay and borers away.

Bishop's aim is to design, carve, sand and oil the historic wood into a piece of functional art. "What I'm really trying to do with my furniture is to make domestic sculptures that you can use. And it decorates your life."

Like gourmands hungry for their next tastebud-enlivening fill, Bishop's clients appreciate quality and are always searching it out – wherever in the world it takes them.

To hunt down Bishop in his workshop you will need to go to Stanley Art Works, in the State's north-west, the gallery he shares with Toby Muir Wilson. But examples of his work are not limited to Tassie's far northwest corner; Bishop has pieces in private collections across the United States, Europe, United Kingdom and Australia.

More information

Mark Bishop
Stanley Artworks
15 Church Street
Stanley
Phone: +61 3 6458 2000