Many of our paintings are done without backgrounds. Some collectors and museums want to portray their specimens without background competition. European mineral artists have used no backgrounds for many years and even painted specimens true to their actual size. I have chosen in many cases to enlarge specimens so they can be enjoyed from a moderate distance. Here are a few examples that represent this form of mineral art.

The watercolor paintings in this category have some sort of background to further enhance the specimen. Some have a stylized background that resembles an environment that a specimen once occupied. Others indicate a geographic area in which the specimen came from.

If you are interested in an original watercolor, Fred can be contacted at 413-586-6691 or e-mail him at info@naturesfinestcreations.com

In my earlier years I painted wildlife and nature landscapes. Eventually I used that experience to focus on painting mineral specimens.

I have created paintings for advertising campaigns, promoting mineral shows and business logos. Magazine and book articles attract attention when mineral specimens are illustrated as paintings. An opportunity came up to illustrate an entire book of minerals found at the Palermo Mines in North Groton, New Hampshire. A total of 130 specimens, many of which were micros, had to be painted with the use of a stereo microscope. A pencil rendering of the original mining operation in 1895 was also created for the book.

A winery in California commissioned me to illustrate about 10 different mineral specimens to be used as wine bottle labels. They won many awards for their wines and labels!

Occasionally I am commissioned to create paintings of new minerals named after people or for special events. Some have been used for fund raising by museums or other institutions.

A line of 8 different note cards were produced from our original paintings. Available as a group of assorted images or packages of eight of a kind.