ABOUT US
What started out as a hobby in 1996 quickly turned into a small business. It consumed our lives very quickly. Collecting minerals became an obsession and we started doing mineral shows to make our wares available. It did not take long for Fred’s profession as an artist to mix with our love for minerals and we developed a line of mineral paintings. Fred does numerous commissioned paintings and has established himself as a leading mineral artist.
HELEN:
“The Organizer”.. Helen is our business manager and keeps us on track preparing for shows, servicing the website, greeting people at shows and making sure Fred does not wander too far from his drawing board. She has a knack for laying out the show booth to make it easier for visitors to enjoy our offerings. Her energy level and enthusiasm seems to be endless! She can also be found at the computer sending emails to clients, typing lists and correspondence into the wee hours of the night. She is at all the shows greeting people with a smile. She also has an impressive mineral collection specializing in quartz. Many of her most prized specimens have been self-collected on many trips throughout the country. Her knowledge of minerals and gemstones is a great asset.
FRED:
“The Artist”.. He is on the drawing board more often than not but an obsession with minerals will find him in the field whenever he can sneak out. You can also find him photographing products for our site, mounting specimens, and exhibiting at mineral shows. His love for the outdoors since he was a young boy instilled a firm understanding of nature’s many creations. He has painted landscapes and wildlife for over 60 years. His mineral art paintings are a new challenge and provide him a chance to broaden his horizons.
Helen Rodak & Fred Wilda
FREDERICK C. WILDA BIOGRAPHY:
Fred is a self-taught artist, he was raised on a small New England farm in Hadley, Massachusetts. His enthusiasm for the natural world developed when he was a very young child. He began sketching, painting and carving while still in elementary school. When he was a high school senior his art teacher convinced him he should make a career in the art field. Art school was not possible for him because of financial restraints so he decided his only option was to instruct himself. His goal: To become the best artist he could be.
Over the years he established himself in the very competitive field of commercial art winning many regional and national awards for his ideas and designs. During these years he painted landscapes, wildlife and portraits whenever he could make the time. His medium was usually oil paints which he learned to master at an early age but he would occasionally do watercolor or pencil renderings.
In 1997, Fred discovered the world of natural mineral crystals and started developing a collection. He decided to do paintings of the crystals using his talent to capture the essence of their natural beauty. He chose watercolor as his medium, working from actual specimens
whenever possible to render the paintings. His illustrations fall into two categories:
A single specimen painting either with or without a background.
A species category which is created using a part of a specimen or a combination of specimens to portray a typical species.
When an original work is finished a limited edition print series is produced to make the painting available to more people. A print series is usually small, consisting of 30 to 100 signed and numbered prints.
Many Fred Wilda originals are commissioned by collectors, museums and institutions who own specimens that they want to immortalize.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
Fred completed a series of over 130 illustrations for reproduction in a 2004 book entitled “The Pegmatite Mines Known as Palermo” written by Robert Whitmore of New Hampshire. His work has also been included in articles in the Lithographie Series, Rocks & Minerals, Rock & Gem Magazines as well as other prominent publications.
Since 2001, Martin Zinn Expositions has commissioned Fred to illustrate specimens for use in advertising for many U.S. mineral shows. The renderings have also been reproduced in magazine advertisements, billboards and on t-shirts.
Fred was honored to be chosen the “Featured Artist” in the 2004 Mineral and Fossil Show in Munich, Germany. He was also the “Featured Exhibitor” in the 2012 East Coast Gem and Mineral Show in West Springfield, Massachusetts where he exhibited his work along with minerals in 52 different cases.
In 2016, Fred completed a series of 10 watercolor paintings to be reproduced as wine labels for “Mineral Wines” in Angels Camp, California which recently relocated to Eagle, Idaho.
FRED’S PAINTINGS & PRINTS RESIDE IN THE COLLECTIONS OF:
The Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad, California.
The Marv Rausch Gallery at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts
New Mexico Tech Museum in Socorro, New Mexico
Colorado School of Mines Museum in Golden, Colorado
The Mineral and Gem Museum in Bethel, Maine
His paintings and limited edition prints also reside in many private collections throughout the United States and abroad.
Fred’s passion for art is truly matched by his obsession for minerals. The challenge of illustrating minerals is fueled by the vast number of subjects available. Fred’s answer to this challenge is “The joy of completing a painting is dwarfed by the anticipation of doing another”
Special thanks go out to Marty Zinn for his dedicated support for making my career as a mineral artist a success. When we first met he welcomed us into his show venues. He made a statement that I will never forget: “I love your work and I am going to make you famous!” Marty is a man of his word!
Thank you Marty for all you have done for us over the years as a great business associate but more important for being a friend forever. – Fred and Helen