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Of British descent, Susanna Blunt was born in Harbin, China but grew up in British Columbia, Canada. Starting with drawing at the age of 3, her decision was made at that time to become an artist. During three summers as a teenager, Susanna attended the Banff School of Fine Arts under Francoise Stegeman, in painting. One of her paintings was bought by the School and subsequently travelled across Canada in a group show. She took private lessons in Victoria with Frances Goward for a year before moving to London England where she attended the Hammersmith School of Art and Architecture for one year in drawing and in basic sculpture, before starting a three year course the Byam Shaw School.
Following this, she received a scholarship to the Royal Academy where she studied for a further 4 years in post graduate work, and won several more prizes, scholarships, and a silver medal, for drawings, portrait paintings and landscapes. The year before she graduated she had her first one-woman show in Calgary, Alberta.
Blunt was invited by the Royal Canadian Mint to join eight other artists in a nationwide competition for a new portrait of Queen Elizabeth II to be used on Canadian coins. Blunt created the image from a photograph of the Queen. She won the competition and her portrait of the Queen has been used on coins and currency in Canada from 2003. |
