This exquisite artwork may make you think differently about your loose change

Finding a creative use for your small change might seem difficult, but not when you think like Canadian artist Margie Lucier.

Margie, 25, has been painting for eight years but last year took up painting on a miniature scale, first using two-inch canvases and then coins as of last month.

Margie works with acrylic paints, fine-tipped brushes and “a steady hand” to turn her native currency into something more – using every Canadian coin including a penny no longer in circulation.

“Painting on a miniature scale began as a challenge to myself, I have always been detail-oriented and I wanted to see how much detail I could pack into a small canvas,” Margie told the Press Association.

“The small canvas gives me the freedom to start painting and see where it takes me.

“When I work on larger surfaces I feel the need to sketch out my idea. Creating tiny paintings has helped me break out of that mentality.”

She added: “I got the idea (to paint on coins) because I love to paint the moon and I thought it would be interesting to paint that on a coin.

“My favourite coins I have painted are the set of full moons, or the red stormy sky on a quarter.”

“I have to build up a few layers of acrylic paint first,” she said.

“I am inspired by the beauty and deep rich colours of nature, and mainly gravitate towards using dark moody colours with pops of bold reds and yellows in some works.”

If you’d like to see more from Margie and her miniature artwork, check out her online shop.