Mark Rixon Cerny was born in Upstate New York in 1969. At an early age, Mark showed a genuine interest in antiques. In first grade he dug up old nineteenth century bottles and metal utensils in his backyard woods with his brothers. He loved his family's old leather bound books and Windsor chairs. He quickly became very interested in antique objects and the amazing stories told on their behalf.

As a young man in the 1990's living in Atlanta, Georgia, Mark collected all types of antiques. Sometimes he would buy intending to sell later, but mostly, Mark was and still is, an antique collector. By 1998, his collection consisted of antique or reclaimed barn wood, damaged antique furniture and Antique Trunks. In 2002, Mark stumbled onto the thought and concept of building tables from antique trunks.

Mark's first inspiration was to make a table top for one of the many antique dome top trunks in his collection. He thought that many beautiful antique dome top trunks were being discarded to the basement, attic or garage because they were impractical in today's world and people just couldn't place anything down on top of them. How to use them? He thought to himself..... "Let's make tables out of them!"

Mark "recycles" or "transforms" antique trunks into high-end furniture tables that open for storage. He sculpts custom-made leg assemblies and trunk-lid table top assemblies for each trunk he turns into a table. Four shaped legs are faceted to the base of the trunk....giving it a nice, bold stance, and getting it up of the ground, thus....protecting it as well as making it easier to view and appreciate. Mark then custom-builds a trunk-lid table top for that trunk, finally creating it into a table. Mark "suspends" or "frames" antique trunks in their own space.....or just "hovering" above their own space.

Mark Believes that the antique trunk, in 100% original condition, is the true art. He wants the viewer's eye to first focus on the beautiful antique trunk, then, he wants the eye to roam up and down as it interprets his original design, one-of-a-kind, mixed-media table art. Mark's art compliments or "highlights" the trunk's age-earned patina without overwhelming it. His tables are subtle in design as they must blend into the overall antique condition of the trunk. Flowing legs and flush surfaces are challenging for Mark, but achieved through determination and high attention to detail. Mark's endless goal is to preserve and showcase beautiful antique trunks the best way possible.......by turning them into tables!