Natacha Heitz’s quest for beautiful shapes and textures begins in the remote Queyras Forest in the Southern French Alps, close to the Italian border. High above the flower-decked valleys, near the soaring 10,000 ft peaks, Natacha finds the primary material for her extraordinary crackled wood sculptures: the Arolla pine.

This alpine tree furnishes the only type of wood that allows her to achieve the astonishing texture she prizes for her pieces. It is the result of the union of wood and fire. After turning her wood to form flattened globes, she delicately slices it. She then burns the surface, and carefully brushes it with white paint to highlight the peaks and valleys created in the wood.

For Natacha, working with wood was the obvious extension of her militant nature conservation. She considers her artistry a partnership with nature. All her wood is certified by PEFC (Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) for sustainable forest management.

Can be displayed on both sides. Signed by artist on the stand.