Claudio D'Angelo: A Focus on Animals and Nature
Early in his childhood, Claudio D’Angelo demonstrated a strong affinity for drawing, with a particular interest in portraying animals. Over the years this affinity for drawing has never waned and he has worked resolutely to make his drawings “look right” by studying the essential principals of lighting, perspective and composition. In college he followed a commercial art program, which put a strong emphasis on illustration and graphic design. This eventually led to a promising career as an illustrator in the field of advertising. He spent several rewarding years in that field but deep inside his true desire was to paint scenes from nature which had been fuelled since his youth, by a profound fascination for animals and the worlds they inhabited. With this option always at the forefront there came a point when, no longer willing to repress this desire, he decided to turn the page and dedicate himself fully to painting.
A Renewed Focus on Nature and Animals
In the years since, he has honed his painting skills and expanded his knowledge and understanding of the animals he depicts such that he can now clearly distill what are the essential elements he wants to portray on his canvases. With this, he has created a body of work which reflects his own unique vision, resulting in his work being represented in numerous private and corporate collections throughout Canada, the US and Europe.
Claudio's Work with the Royal Canadian Mint
Back in the early 90’s, his abilities as an artist came to the attention of the Royal Canadian Mint which approached him and asked if he’d also be interested in designing coins. He saw this as a great opportunity, as well as a challenge, to transfer his skills into a truly new medium. “Designing coins has allowed me to really draw upon my understanding of graphic design to recreate a world I’d only ever portrayed on canvas and focus on how best to realize this vision onto the surface of a coin. I think that it’s well understood that the best coin designs have to be clear, simple and strong, especially when considering how small the end product will be.” Since first being contacted by the RC Mint, he has designed well in excess of 50 coins over his career. Though the theme of animals and nature have made up the bulk of his coin designs, he has also portrayed a variety of other subjects, thereby expanding his repertoire.
More Examples of Claudio's work
