5 Beautiful Things

 

A {Painted} Penny For Your Thoughts

Beginning early next year, pennies will no longer be manufactured in Canada, ending over 150 years of production by the Canadian Mint. The poor penny has been deemed “unnecessary” to the Canadian economy and the one-cent tender will become a thing of the past.

Reaction to the news is mixed. Economists are thrilled, since it will save Canada nearly $10-million a year in production costs. Retailers are not so happy, since it means having to reprogram cash registers and reprint price tags to balance sums of change that will no longer use pennies.

But what about the nostalgists among us: the penny collectors, the wishing-well traditionalists, the “lucky penny” enthusiasts? What will become of us? What will we do with our array of tiny copper disks?

The options, it seems, are many.

Creative and inventive artists have used pennies to coat floors, to decorate walls, create murals and make sculptures and I’m quite sure that as pennies become less and less prominent on the economic scene the fascination with them will only increase.

Some, like artist Jacqueline Lou-Skaggs, have used pennies as tiny canvases, painting little portraits and landscapes on the 1.43 millimeter surface. Below are five images of her beautiful creations.

So, would you miss the penny if it disappeared from your wallet, or would it be a blessing? A penny for your thoughts…

 

 

All artwork by Jacqueline Lou-Skaggs

 

Andrew Ritchie is the creator of Martha Moments, a blog devoted to Martha-Stewart related content and her community of supporters. He lives and works in Toronto, Canada, and has been a longtime friend of Brent & Josh, Beekman 1802 and Sharon Springs. Each week he’ll scour the world (wide web) to find the 5 most beautiful things to inspire you. Follow Andrew on Pinterest.