The idea for my shop arose from the wish to have a way of sharing my sister's mineral photography. Sue was a geologist and captured a stunning series of images of mineral thin sections under the microscope.

While working in the lab as a geologist, Sue was fascinated by the stunning colours, shapes and forms that rock samples display under the microscope, revealing a unique abstract work of art. They show an unusual and unique view of the geological landscape that few people would ordinarily get to see.

Sue believed that others would appreciate the stunning view in the same way, and wanted to find a wider audience for her artwork. Tragically Sue passed away suddenly in 2007, not having had a chance to share her extraordinary photos. It didn’t seem right that Sue’s works should remain out of sight, and Sue's photos have been exhibited at Bondi Beach in Sydney, at Art Melbourne, and also in art exhibitions in Toowoomba and Brisbane. It has helped our family to continue to work with these beautiful images in Sue’s memory.

The mineral photo images you see here used in making the products in my Etsy shop were the first 12 photos Sue chose as her Australian Mineral Series No. 1. Among the many other photos still unpublished there is a Series 2, and in the near future I will be releasing a second series of photos, the ones I think Sue loved too and would have wanted to share.

For the technically minded, below is a description of the rock ‘thin section’ process in Sue’s words:
After cutting and roughly trimming with a diamond tipped saw the rock is slowly cut, ground and then polished to a thickness of 0.03mm (30µm). Using resin to hold this incredibly thin slice of rock onto a glass slide the constituent minerals are now ready to be viewed under a polarising microscope. The diagnostic colors produced by projecting various wavelengths of light through the rock sliver, in conjunction with mineral shape and its association with other minerals are used to determine the mineral type. The diagnostic colors and shape of the mineral can also tell the experienced petrologist the approximate chemical composition of the mineral.

Recent works
In late 2016, I embarked on a project to satisfy my own creativity while preserving the integrity of Sue's works. This has taken the form of creating original artworks on timber and tile inspired by Sue's mineral photography, which are essentially small scale abstract paintings using acrylic paint and resin. These works are intended to complement Sue's photos and I have enjoyed creating something that I think could look really great used with Sue's images.

In 2018 I diversified further and found myself focussing more on projects using timber, resin and embedded botanical elements and photography. I continue to focus on making products that are functional as well as beautiful. Sue's photos will feature more in my work as well as I discover ways to incorporate images into my resin work. I want to offer customers a wide range of images, artwork and functional products to choose from, and although my heart lies with Sue's mineral photos, I love creating with other media and processes.

Please feel welcome to discuss your requirements prior to placing an order, I will try my best to make something beautiful for you 😊