The Magic of Crystals and Minerals - Painting another Tourmaline

I am collecting minerals and fossils. Nearly all of my collected treasures do not have any value at all besides being just beautiful and thus meaning a lot to me. They are also an endless well of inspiration. And so it came that this series was started.

My intent for these was not a most realistic reproduction of crystal images – photos can do this much quicker – but I wanted to catch the very essence of something that nature creates in perfection. What is the essence of a crystal? Translucency? Not necessarily – there is an abundance of crystals in the metal section which are not translucent at all – bismuth (Bi) crystals f.e. which reflect all colours of the rainbow, or pyrites which glissen like gold.

Nevertheless – the first association we have when we think of the word “crystal” is that of something translucent, clear like water. Not without reason we say “crystal clear” water. And crystals will never fail to inherit something mysterious and seductive.

Another painting from the series about Crystals and Minerals is Tourmaline I. This tourmaline has been painted in various green hues. I think most people remember tourmalines being green but there are much more variations. I wanted to show the magic that does exist in a crystal such as this one.

"Tourmaline I"

40" x 13"

Acrylic on Rayon

After some research in the Internet I realized that not many painterly representations of minerals or crystals can be found. So these motives are not "worn" like so many others. So these themes are wonderful for painting - not only for realistic presentations. The play with light and shadow and endless forms is predestined also for abstract painting. As a matter of course you can photograph these motives and there are numerous works to be found but these are not the same as a painted interpretation. Traditional photography tries to present the object with perfect light and form, depending on the assignment.

Painting takes a completely different approach. With this work the nature of the natural unpolished crystal was the main interest and the character of a tourmaline. The crystals of a tourmaline can differ substantially in form and colour, but the basic structure is always the same: they are composed polar and react on temperature changes with polar charging, i.e. the edges are charged positively on one end and negatively on the other. Tourmaline crystals often appear as needles - that was the reason for the many lines I used in this painting.

Wouldn't this be the perfect painting for a collector of minerals and any lover of nature's treasures? This way nothing is destroyed nor exploited but instead this would be a contribution to nature conservation....

Virtually framed could this painting look like this....

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