My Favorite Postage Stamps, Part One

I am often asked if I have any favorite postage stamps? Here are some of my favorite U.S. issues. This is part one of a three part series.

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#1
The 1974 10¢ "Skylab Launching 1st Anniversary Issue" (Scott #1529) is one of my all time favorite issues for many reason. I can remember this issue as a 6-7 year old boy and loving it then because of the space theme. The subject matter is interesting and the colors of the sun and radiant bands are stunning. The overall design is beautiful.

As far as using it in my own artwork, the sun and radiant bands create and almost hypnotic op-art look when composed as I did below in a piece entitled, "Glow" (Vortex 22) used U.S. postage stamps and resin on canvas 16" x 16" 2018/20

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#2
Next on the list is the 1958 National Geophysical Year issue (Scott #1107) featuring two hands almost touching over a flaming sun.
The simple two-color printing (actually advanced for the time as most issues were still printed in monochromatic hues) combined with the striking imagery and color choices makes this one of my favorites. Obviously, it is a direct reference to Michelangelo's "the Creation of Adam" famously painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

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#3
Featuring the abstract geometric painting "Glow" by Josef Albers, this 15¢ cent issue from 1980 (Scott # 1833) is a great example of minimalism in design. The beautiful colors of Albers’ piece, radiating from the center square and positioned on the upper half of the rectangular format of the stamp, led me to experiment with this abstract relationship further. Although, I had been doing square formatted pieces based on Albers’ “Homage” series for years, it wasn’t until a University of Kansas Hospital commission in 2016 that I broke out the square.  Still based on Albers’ relationships and relative dimensions, I switched to a rectangular format at the request if the client.

A recent beautiful install for the University of Kansas Hospital Collection compliments of the amazing Blue Gallery, Kansas City, MO. Installation images: "Meaningful Adjacencies" 60" x 60" 2017, "Inward Journey" 48" x 36" 2017

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#4
I am back to the space theme with the Apollo 8 6¢ issue (Scott #1371) from 1968. The stunningly beautiful imagery of the moon surface and the earth, coupled with the elegant and simple design, put this issue on the top of my list. It often use this issue in my monochromatic artwork when I am lucky enough into find it in sufficient quantities at estate sales or philatelic auctions.

"The Ancients" used U.S. postage stamps and resin on canvas 48" x 48" 2016

"The Ancients" detail showing the Apollo 8 issue used in an inverted fashion.

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#5
And finally the 1945 "Iwo Jima" 3¢ issue (Scott #929) featuring the iconic raising of the U.S. flag on that island during WW2 is based on a photo by Joe Rosenthal. The picture, which earned Rosenthal a Pulitzer Prize, was then made into this postage stamp and also cast as a 100-ton bronze memorial. Powerful imagery, simple design and the use of the monochromatic green, all add to this issues beauty.

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