This irregular, golden brown-black, awe-inspiring Ponderosa sculpture has the characteristic weight and density of most fallen old growth pine roots laden with pitch.  Pitch makes carving a nightmare, since it constantly clogs tools and sandpaper, but is also a blessing since it is what preserved the wood for 50+ years after the tree fell.  
The sculpture is 18 inches tall, 7 inches wide, 5 inches deep, and weighs 4 lbs.  The old growth Ponderosa tree – about 300 years old – that provided the beautiful, strongly grained root for this sculpture had roughly a 48 inch diameter trunk and fell many years earlier, curing nicely on a steep, rocky, sunny dry hillside in eastern Washington state in the United States.  Years of weathering in the wind, rain, snow, and sun gave the wood a rough gray-black exterior that resembles bark, but the bark itself fell off years ago.  Much of that rustic exterior has been preserved to add character to the art.  
The sculpture was carved using a combination of both aggressive and delicate power tools combined with fine hand tools and a great deal of sandpaper.  Unfortunately, the high pitch content that protects the wood from decay also makes sculpting the wood extra difficult because it constantly clogs tools and sandpaper. 
A smooth and glossy oil-based finish protects this sculpture. 
About Ponderosa Pine:  Pinus ponderosa -- typical tree shown above:  
Ponderosa pines -- also known as bull pine, blackjack pine, or western yellow-pine -- can grow to be very large and old and can be found in a variety of habitats.  They are native to mountainous regions of western North America and are the most widely distributed pine species in North America.   
Ponderosa pine (with five subspecies) is an evergreen coniferous tree with distinctive thick yellow to orange-red bark (on mature trees) with deep black furrows.  Younger trees, referred to as "blackjacks" by early loggers, have blackish-brown bark.  Trees can live over 400 years and typically grow to 50' to 100' tall, with the largest being 240’ tall and 27’ in circumference.  The tree is heavily logged due to its excellent lumber.  
Although the thick sticky sap content makes Ponderosa wood difficult to work with, the rich color and smooth texture of the finished wood makes it one my favorites for artistic containers and sculptures.   
Care of your Valuable Art piece:  
 The beauty of your art piece will best be maintained by periodic gentle dust removal with a soft brush on a vacuum, and occasional buffing with a very light coating of something like Howard's Feed-N-Wax (a blend of beeswax and Brazilian carnauba wax [pronounced kahr-nou-buh], mineral oil, and orange oil) which helps protect and enhance the rich colors.
2. As for all wood art, it should NOT be displayed in direct sunlight (no wood likes direct sun) because strong light fades rich colors.  Of course, some wood colors inevitably change over time. 
3. Display this treasure where it will be protected from chemicals, moisture and damaging heat. 
4. If you have specific questions, you are welcome to email me:  rcpaulson@msn.com.