Of British descent, Susanna Blunt was born in 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.
Back in England, she was invited with David Hockney to jury a national competition, the London Print Gallery bought one of her prints, and she worked with Yoko Ono for six months helping her with art projects and exhibitions.
After moving to California, she taught part time at the College of Marin in adult education, and during the next two years she came to know and be influenced by the artists Gordon Onslow Ford, John Anderson and J.B.Blunk.
Returning after that to Canada, she spent several years teaching at the University of British Columbia, and other institutions, while developing her career as a muralist, designer, portrait painter, and eventually traveling widely in other countries for her portrait commissions.
She has exhibited in group and one woman shows in England, France, Italy, Hong Kong, the USA and across Canada. She has worked for several publishers and reproductions in poster format are sold internationally.
Since the early 1990’s she has been working in sculpture full time along with paintings and installations in mixed media.
For those interested in reading a 2023 comprehensive interview with the CBC click here.
1988 Designed the optical illusion room for the Science Centre.
1990 Gallery 78 New Brunswick, national group travelling exhibition.
1991 & 1992 Lived and painted in France where she took part in five exhibitions, solo and group and where she also won an award tying third place in an international competition.
1995 Chosen to paint the portrait of Gerda Hnatyshyn, wife of Rae Hnatyshyn, Governor General of Canada for Rideau Hall, in Ottawa, Ontario.
1997 Delivered her portrait of Prince Edward to Buckingham Palace.
2002 Invited to participate in an international competition between 9 artists to do a portrait of The Queen for the Royal Canadian Mint. Her portrait was chosen for all coins minted since 2003, with The Queen, at her request, portrayed for the first time without a crown.
2002 The Post Office of the Isle of Wight used Susanna`s portrait of Toni Onley instead of a photograph, to illustrate his biography when they issued a special edition of stamps featuring his paintings.
2004 Susanna won another national competition for the mint and her coin design for a silver dollar, in a limited edition. This became the first coin in Canadian history to have both sides designed by the same artist.
2005-13 Susanna won another national competition for the mint and her coin design for a silver dollar, in a limited edition. This became the first coin in Canadian history to have both sides designed by the same artist.
2014-2017 Having begun to experiment in collage and the use of other materials in three dimensional forms during the mid 1990’s, she returned to art school to learn more about sculpture technique at The Art Institute at Capilano University, North Vancouver B.C. under the renowned sculptor George Rammell.
Invited by two curators at the Royal Academy in London England to exhibit in the Summer Exhibition. Unanimous jury.
Awarded the 2017 Fans award by the North Shore Arts Alliance.
Commissioned by Canadian Coin and currency/Canadian PMX Corps for 150th Anniversary of Canadian confederation limited edition medals in bronze, silver and gold.