Susanna Blunt facts for kids

Susanna Blunt was born in 1941 and is a talented Canadian artist who specializes in painting portraits. She is famous for designing the picture of Queen Elizabeth II that appeared on Canadian coins from 2003 until 2023. She was the second Canadian woman ever to create a portrait of a monarch for coins.

Early Life and Art Training

Susanna Blunt was born in Harbin, China. Her father was an English banker. She started learning art when she was a young teenager at the Banff School of Fine Arts in Canada. After finishing high school, she took private art lessons in Victoria, British Columbia.

Later, she moved to London, England, to continue her art education. She spent four years at the Byam Shaw School of Drawing and Painting. Then, she won a special scholarship to study for another four years at the Royal Academy, which is a very famous art school. While there, she won several awards, including a silver medal, for her amazing artwork.

In 1966, before she even graduated, Susanna Blunt had her very first art show all by herself in Calgary, Alberta. After finishing her studies in England, she returned to Canada and settled in Vancouver in 1970.

Teaching and Creative Work

In 1971, Susanna Blunt worked with the famous artist Yoko Ono, helping her with different art projects. After that, Susanna moved to California in the San Francisco Bay area, where she started teaching art for three years.

She then returned to Vancouver and continued teaching art. She taught at both private schools and public institutions, including the Fine Arts Department at the University of British Columbia for three years.

Famous Artworks and Coin Design

Susanna Blunt became well-known for her trompe-l'œil paintings. This is a French term that means "deceive the eye." These paintings are so realistic that they make you think you are looking at a real object, not just a painting! In 1988, she even designed a special optical illusion room for the Science World museum in Vancouver.

Between 1991 and 1992, while living in France, she participated in five art shows and won an award in an international competition.

Susanna Blunt has painted portraits of many important people, including:

• Toni Onley, a painter from Vancouver
• George Woodcock, an author from Vancouver
• Stanley Donen, a film producer from Los Angeles
• Steven Isserlis, a famous cellist from London

She was also chosen to paint a portrait of Gerda Hnatyshyn, whose husband was the Governor-General of Canada Ramon Hnatyshyn. This portrait now hangs in Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Ontario. In 1997, she painted a portrait of Prince Edward and delivered it to Buckingham Palace in London.

Designing the Queen's Portrait for Coins

The Royal Canadian Mint, which is responsible for making Canada's coins, invited Susanna Blunt to join a competition. Eight other artists were also invited to create a new portrait of Queen Elizabeth II for Canadian coins. The Mint already knew about her work, especially the portrait she painted of Gerda Hnatyshyn.

Susanna Blunt created her design for the Queen's portrait using a photograph. She won the competition, and her portrait of the Queen was used on all Canadian coins and paper money from 2003 until 2023. This was a very important achievement for her as an artist.