I Have Always Been Interested,

in rocks and minerals,

 I even had a small collection of them as a kid, bought with pocket money from a huge mineral store in London, now gone, 

 so it was with some interest I looked at these,

 for two reasons,

 the first, as stated, they were minerals that I had once samples of,

 and secondly,

 the artist that painted them has such a great understanding of how light works in her paintings to give such a realistic effect, they were all painted by Toronto-based artist Carly Waito, who depicts the most minute details of minerals and crystals as they sparkle and glimmer, from her artist statement:

As a painter, Waito has continued to pursue this inspiration, with a focus towards geology, geometry, light, and a sense of wonder and curiosity. These themes are uniquely encompassed by the tiny mineral specimens which have become her particular obsession. With each finely detailed painting, Waito focuses the eye on a specimen’s particular qualities, showing the beauty and magic that is present even in nature’s tiniest objects, if one looks closely enough and with a curious mind.

I have posted a collected here of a number of paintings spanning 2009-2015, but you can see many more through Narwhal Gallery, what a fabulous talent, being able to paint and use light that makes the minerals look so real.