About the Artist

How it all Began
At age 10, I was given a Gilbert chemistry set for Christmas and became fascinated by all the various chemical compounds and their colors and even more fascinated with the chemical reactions when some were mixed together in an aqueous solution. I was living in Wiesbaden, Germany, the year was 1954. As the new year 1955 began, I was experimenting with all sorts of chemical reactions. At one point, I had mixed ferric ammonium sulfate in a beaker of water and, for some reason, set it aside...and forgot about it for a week or two. Upon retreiving the beaker, I found a single one inch beautiful light green crystal at the bottom of the container...I was so certain I had miraculously grown something of great value. Having my curiosity peaked, I found a book titled "Crystals and Crystal Growing" authored by Holdin and Singer. This book introduced me to the various properties of the different classes of crystals and presented instructions to actually grow crystals at home...even more spectacular than the one I had created. At that time, however, I had few resources to purchase chemicals and other supplies for growing crystals of larger sizes.

The year is now 1960, I am in my sophomore year in highschool (H.H. Arnold High School, Wiesbaden, Germany) and taking inorganic chemistry. My instructor supports my desire to grow crystals and gives me complete access to the chemistry supply store-room. I am like a child in a toy store, not believing all the beautiful colors presented by such compounds as copper sulfate (deep blue) and potassium ferricyanide (deep red). Using techniques presented in "Crystals and Crystal Growing" and my own innovations, I commence to grow crystals up to 2 inches in size, of various colors, some of which are also clear and colorless. Many of these crystals remain intact, to this day (July 15, 2009).

It is the following year when I enter the high school science fair. I have a collection of over 30 rather large crystals of many colors to display. I present graphic presentations of the properties of crystals and how they grow, as well as how they are classified. I win first prize...I was pretty happy.

Move ahead many years to 1974, I am in my internship at the UCLA Medical Center dept. of Pathology. In the medical specialty of anatomic pathology, the primary instrument used is the microscope. It is used for examining tissues and fluids from all areas of the body to determine disease processes and events. Crystalline substances may also be found in body tissues and fluids. I recall that Holden and Singer described a property that some chemical substances possess...birefringence. This is a tendency to glow brightly in polarized light. Once again, having access to the chemical substances utilized by the pathology lab, I gather together certain chemicals and grow small microscopic crystals on glass slides. I then examine them through a polarizing microscope (a microscope equipped with polarizing filters) The first view is mesmerizing and a new hobby begins. Initial photographs are taken with my photomicroscope in the department of pathology using Kodachrome or Ektachrome.

Currently images are captured with a 32 MP digital camera attached to a Leitz microscope equipped with polarizing filters and stored on computer. Chemicals are purchased, some were donated years ago.

-CJ