Saiyart Sema-gnern begged a friend to buy his first effort at woodwork - a chair - and even knocked the price down from Bt800 to Bt600. Then the friend brought the chair back, saying his wife didn't like it.

They should have hung on to it - that chair would be worth a small fortune today. And no haggling over the price either.

Saiyart's wood furniture and sculptures are highly coveted by collectors, who invariably also appreciate the fact that he's always got a great story about how he came up with the idea.

After years of exhibitions both at home and abroad, his show at the Architecture Fair earlier this month was still drawing kudos - and cunning copycats.

Today several artisans produce outdoor wood furniture from old kwian (ox-cart wheels), krok (mortar) and cho fa (ornate roof finials). Saiyart was the first to do so - and remains the only one to invest each piece with creative soul.

"I used to be wary of those who imitated my work," he says, speaking softly in the aftermath of heart surgery. "But I've come to think of my work as being an inspiration for them. At least it's keeping them interested in woodwork."

Saiyart's frail heart - he had difficulty breathing the night before our interview - has long troubled him. He stopped breathing for six minutes during his first operation eight years ago. Now he always tells himself to surrender if death comes.

"I've made peace in my mind, but at the same time I have to fight to stay alive," he says.

Arriving at his workshop, crammed with piles of old wood, he inquires about the pending delivery of a chair, a gift to Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

The chair is called "Mangosteen" and that's what it looks like, even in colour. Saiyart used teak for the dark-purple skin and pradu (Pterocarpus) for the glistening pulp.

"The technique is quite difficult. We wanted to show each ring of the trunk on the surface of the chair, so we had to use different pieces of wood and assemble them one by one."

Two decades ago, working overseas with the renowned firm Castellini, Saiyart realised that Thailand had great potential to revive its old woodworking traditions. One of his trademarks today is the age-old technique of joining sections of wood without nails.

"The thing I'm proud of most is being Thai," he says. "Our country has a long history and rich culture, and we have all the resources, but we tend to look elsewhere. I was determined to carry on the local traditions."

Searching for any kind of old wood and other items that could be reused, he found in his native Ayutthaya a trove of material in unused old rice barges. Most of the bits were at least 30 years old, some 70.

"The old boats are made of very thick, good-quality wood to prevent leaking," explains Saiyart's son, who recently joined his father's enterprise.

Saiyart collected other discarded wooden products as well - high chairs, tubs, dilapidated animal sculptures, house pillars and even dead trees.

Every year he comes up with a new unifying theme, from human limbs to the sea, mountains to animals.

This year he's put aside his usual cubes - everything is round.

"The New Bond Series" is based on the bond between nature and man and allows Saiyart to give new life to old wood.

"I design only a handful of pieces each year [far fewer than his copiers]. People who buy my work know it's one of a kind.

"Most importantly, each item has a unique history. That's a value - a kind of feeling - that you can't experience when you buy a duplicate."

While hoping his son will carry on the craft, 57-year-old Saiyart acknowledges that woodwork is a dying art. Although his work isn't cheap, being a woodworker isn't as rewarding as pursuing other fields of art.

Thus Saiyart has yet to fulfil his ambition of building a museum, and his hefty medical bills have further endangered his dream.

Saiyart can't help lamenting the lack of artwork in Thailand's public places compared to other countries he's visited.

Still, he cherishes his dream. For now, he's a visiting lecturer at several universities, where he tries to instil in the students the need for passion, persistence and patience.

"Young people these days only think about how to get rich quickly. They lack one significant virtue in life: being diligent.

"It's time-consuming to accomplish just a single artwork. A painter can paint, dry the piece and then sell it. But being a woodworker is arduous."

Duangporn Bodart

The Nation