Fred Harwin collection, 1965-2022

Fredric (Fred) Harwin attained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Wayne State University in 1964, focusing in interior architecture, drawing, and painting. He then went on to receive his Master of Science degree in medical and biological illustration from the University of Michigan in 1967. After completing school, Harwin served as the Director of Medical Illustration at Wayne County General Hospital. In 1969, Harwin joined the faculty at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) in Portland, OR; he has taught at Portland State University and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry; and was an Adjunct Professor of Medical Illustration at the University of California's San Francisco Medical Center. Harwin has servesd as an adjunct faculty member with the Department of Art as Applied to Medicine at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and as an Advisor for the Center for Ocular Prosthetics in Portland, OR.

While at OHSU, Harwin, in his capacity as illustrator, collaborated with renown cardiac surgeons Dr. Brad Harlan and Dr. Albert Starr on the Manual of Cardiac Surgery, first published in 1980 with a second edition in 1994. This included placement of the famed Starr-Edwards heart valve, which was the first successful prosthetic device implanted in a human mitral valve and marked a new era in the treatment of valvular heart disease. The Manual was seen as a breakthrough in medical texts, being the first of the prevalent works on heart surgery to include color illustrations.

Harwin personally developed and practiced a technique he refers to as "Scientific Realism." His drawings include color accuracy to real body internals, the visual perspective and technique of the surgeon, the creation of the visual illusion of looking through superficial layers to the deeper structures, and visually instructional procedures for the successful completion of the surgery. The technique involves applying media to both sides of frosted mylar, with an interconnectedness of color and value. The bottom side of the illustrations were completed in a combination of colored pencil, graphite, carbon or pastels, while the top side was mostly airbrushed with water colors or gouache. The benefit of this technique is to allow the surgeon or medical student to "see" an organ as it will appear in the operating room, with all its subtle coloration, while at the same time allowing the eye to see through to where a patch, a suture, or a graft has been applied, allowing the observer to grasp the totality of the surgery, while being simultaneously alerted to the minute detail.

Fred Harwin retired from the Center for Ocular Prosthetics in December of 2019 and is currently painting full time in his studio.