Painting landscape and genre scenes of the Rocky Mountains and Plains States, Charles Fritz has the huge project of documenting in paint the Lewis and Clark Expedition. 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.

Sources include:
"Art of the West", February 2002
"Art of the West", December 2004

Charles John Fritz (b. 1955)

A painter of landscape and genre scenes of the Rocky Mountains and Plains states, Charles Fritz was born and raised in Mason City, Iowa. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Iowa State University. However, his attention turned towards the artistic, and he now paints from his home in Billings, Montana.

In 1993, Fritz won the prestigious Lee M. Loeb Memorial Award for landscape painting. In 1995, the Denver Art Museum purchased one of his works for its permanent collection. Fritz has won Best of Show from the Salmagundi Club in New York City and is a three-time Best of Show winner at the C.M. Russell Art Show and Auction. At the 2002 C.M. Russell Show, one of his works sold at a record price for a living artist at the auction.

His work can be found in the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the C.M. Russell Museum, and the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Fritz is also included annually in such exhibits as the Artists of America show in Denver, Colorado, the Museum of North American Wildlife, the Albuquerque Museum in New Mexico, the Gilcrease Museum and the Prix de West Show at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Fritz is currently working on a large Lewis and Clark exhibition, which will tour the country during the bicentennial from 2003-2006.

Reference: http://inst.augie.edu, Montana Living, www.meadowlarkgallery.com