Over the last week, it was announced that Heidi Wastweet of Seattle, Washington was appointed to the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee as a specialist in medallic sculpture. Wastweet is an accomplished artist whose credits include the design of many medals, the founder of the Seattle Sculpture Guild, and a member of FIDEM.

There have been other articles about Wastweet’s biography. I want to focus on her work. To visit her website gallery it is clear that she can be best described as an awesome artist! From bonze sculptures to commissioned medals, I click on every image and am just in awe of her work. Wastweet created a fantasy piece of what could be my favorite allegedly non-coin, the 1964-D Peace Dollar (seen here).

Of Wastweet’s sculptures, I was most intrigued by the her “Tribute to Auguste Rodin,” a study of Rodin’s Gates of Hell created for a private collector. Having only read about Rodin’s sculpture in Paris, I am intrigued by her work and the imagery that Wastweet used to create her work.

After visiting her virtual gallery with mouth agape, I can only say that Wastweet may be on the wrong side of the table. Maybe she should be creating the artwork instead of judging them. I see Wastweet’s addition as a good move for the CCAC and hope she can provide valuable input to the designs of US coins.

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