Obituary: Alumnus Robert-Ralph Carmichael, designer of the “loonie”

 

Thursday, July 21, 2016 - 4:00am

OCAD University mourns the loss of Robert Carmichael who passed away at the age of 78 on Saturday, July 16 in Sault Ste. Marie, ON.

The painter and teacher is best known for his design of the one dollar coin, which he created in 1987 when the paper bill was phased out. Well over a billion loonies have been produced since it was introduced. His initials appear near the loon’s beak.  

After graduating from what was then the Ontario School of Art in the late 1950’s, Carmichael went on to Carleton University. He taught at several schools and universities throughout his career.  

The artist described the overarching them of his work as “the human condition, our relationship to the environment and our relationship to each other.)

Carmichael has exhibited throughout Canada including at the National Gallery in Ottawa, the Beaverbrook Gallery in Fredericton, the Glenbow Institute in Calgary, and the Tom Thomson Art Gallery in Owen Sound. His work is in many private and corporate collections. A monumental reproduction of the loonie is on display in his hometown of Echo Bay, Ontario.  

Carmichael is survived by his wife, artist and stage designer Gwen Keatley, who is also alumna of OCAD U.

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Thursday, July 21, 2016 - 4:00am

OCAD University mourns the loss of Robert Carmichael who passed away at the age of 78 on Saturday, July 16 in Sault Ste. Marie, ON.

The painter and teacher is best known for his design of the one dollar coin, which he created in 1987 when the paper bill was phased out. Well over a billion loonies have been produced since it was introduced. His initials appear near the loon’s beak.  

After graduating from what was then the Ontario School of Art in the late 1950’s, Carmichael went on to Carleton University. He taught at several schools and universities throughout his career.  

The artist described the overarching them of his work as “the human condition, our relationship to the environment and our relationship to each other.)

Carmichael has exhibited throughout Canada including at the National Gallery in Ottawa, the Beaverbrook Gallery in Fredericton, the Glenbow Institute in Calgary, and the Tom Thomson Art Gallery in Owen Sound. His work is in many private and corporate collections. A monumental reproduction of the loonie is on display in his hometown of Echo Bay, Ontario.  

Carmichael is survived by his wife, artist and stage designer Gwen Keatley, who is also alumna of OCAD U.