Tofino illustrator and artist Claire Watson designed a pure silver coin for the Royal Canadian Mint to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Saint Lawrence Seaway.

The special edition coin, says Watson, was a venture outside her creative comfort zone, which ultimately led to one of her greatest accomplishments to date.

sa国际传媒淚 remember getting really excited five years ago when I won the Whale Festival poster. This coin is a bit of an interesting step up,sa国际传媒� Watson told the Tofino Westerly News from her floating home, a wooden sailboat called sa国际传媒楻azmursa国际传媒�.

Last winter, a creative director from the Royal Canadian Mint reached out to Watson to see if she would like to be added to their pool of artists.

sa国际传媒淭hen, two months later, I got another call asking if I wanted to participate in the contest to submit designs for the Saint Lawrence Seaway,sa国际传媒� Watson recalls. sa国际传媒淭o do the [initial] sketch was pretty simple. I did everything on my iPad with Procreate and a pen. I submitted my design and got a call a few days later saying that I had won it.sa国际传媒�

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Apparently, notes Watson, it is rare for a first-time contender to be selected.

sa国际传媒淚 was quite blown away that I won it,sa国际传媒� she said.

Located on the east coast of Canada, the Saint Lawrence Seaway is a series of locks, canals, and channels that connects Canadian and American vessels to the Atlantic Ocean. The Seaway opened in 1959 and was hailed one of the greatest engineering feats of the 20th century.

sa国际传媒淭he Saint Lawrence Seaway is a vital waterway, serving as a key part of the North American logistics chain and as an important gateway for trade with over 50 nations across the globe,sa国际传媒� wrote Terence Bowles, President and CEO of The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation.

Watsonsa国际传媒檚 design provides a water-level view of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, where a ship moves through one of 15 lock systems. A split maple leaf and star symbolizes the Seaway as a partnership between Canada and the United States and the anchor is a special tribute to all who oversee the safe and efficient passage of marine traffic through our waters.

sa国际传媒淭he Montreal skyline is tucked in there really small. Originally, my design had more landscape in the background, but then I changed it more. Itsa国际传媒檚 amazing how much detail they got in there,sa国际传媒� said Watson, who is known for being the Tofino Time magazinesa国际传媒檚 illustrator .

Titled sa国际传媒�60 years of Prominence: The St. Lawrence Seawaysa国际传媒�, the collectorsa国际传媒檚 edition coin can be purchased on for $219.95. At the time this article went to press, Watsonsa国际传媒檚 first silver coin was 81 per cent sold out of its 2,000 mintage.

sa国际传媒淲hat do I do from here?sa国际传媒� Watson ponders. sa国际传媒淚 have no idea what the next step is.sa国际传媒�

nora.omalley@westerlynews.ca
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