Gilded tree on sculpture trail

Gilding a gnarly and knotty jarrah tree in gold has been a long and formidable task for Leschenault-based artist Thomas Heidt, who recently put the final touches on his latest sculpture.

It took Mr Heidt two years to complete the project but the German-born artist said he was very pleased with the result.

‘‘With a project like this you never know 100 per cent how it will end up,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s the sort of thing you find out when it’s finished but then you can’t change it anymore.’’

The seven-metre high jarrah tree has been installed at the Understory sculpture walk in Northcliffe.

A type of open-air gallery featuring the work of more than 50 renowned artists, the 1.2km art trail winds through a karri, jarrah and marri forest.

On display are sculptures, stories, poems and music exploring the human relationship with nature and the ‘‘spirit of place’’.

Mr Heidt received a Department of Culture and the Arts grant to undertake the project and completed a 10-day intensive gilding course in Sydney.

After searching around the South West for months to find the perfect tree, Mr Heidt found what he needed on his Leschenault property.

The tree was transported to Northcliffe, sealed and painted before it was gilded.

Mr Heidt said he hoped the tree would represent both the people who had fought hard to save bushland from bulldozers and those who had ‘‘slipped though the cracks’’ of mainstream society.

‘‘It was a steep learning curve because I’ve never done anything like that before,’’ Mr Heidt said.