A lovely use of Paulownia timber

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The image shows one of the entries in the Mandorla Art Award which I wrote about last discussion. The attractive wood is paulownia. The genus is native to east Asia and widespread across China. It’s become very popular in Australia as it’s one of the fastest growing trees in the world, reaching maturity in under 10 years. They can grow over 30 metres (98 ft) tall and have large heart-shaped leaves. Paulownias also have very attractive tubular flowers, similar to a foxglove, and ranging in colour from pale violet to a stronger purple. Wikipedia says the tree was named in honour of Anna Pavlovna, queen consort of the Netherlands (1795–1865), daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia. It is also sometimes known as the "princess tree". I love the wood grain and colour of this.