Charles Fritz

This endeavor, begun in the late 1990s, will result in over 100 paintings and began when a collector asked him to do a painting based on a description in the Lewis and Clark Journals of the confluence of the Yellowstone and the Missouri rivers. After that, the long-time interest in history kicked in for Fritz, and he set about to travel the route, take photos and extensive notes and then convert these background materials into paintings. In May to September 2004, an exhibit of 62 of the paintings was held at the University of Montana Museum of Art and Culture in Missoula.

Charles Fritz was born and raised in Mason City, Iowa and earned a B.S. degree from Iowa State University. After that he took a job in construction and then traveled in Europe. In 1981, he and his wife, Joan, settled on a six-acre homestead near Billings, Montana, and his studio is located there. Much of his painting has been landscapes, but he has added figures, animals, wildlife and history. In style, he is a meticulous realist who paints idyllic scenes that focus on the beauty of nature.

He is an active conservationist and has his work in major museums including the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, the Russell Museum, and the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City. A major influence on the philosophy behind his work has been Montana sculptor Bob Scriver.

In 1993, Fritz won the prestigious Lee M Loeb Memorial Award for landscape painting at the Salmagundi Exhibit in New York. As a western artist, he is widely exhibited including the Prix de West at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. He is the illustrator of "Places of Spirit-Canyon de Chelley," Gibbs & Smith publishers.