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.

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

#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

"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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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.

"Eternal" used U.S. postage stamps and resin on canvas 48" x 48" 2020
Available at Simon Breitbard Fine Arts, San Francisco

"Inner Journeys" 
Each: used U.S. postage stamps and resin on canvas 6" x 6" 2021

#energyart #meditativeart #postagestamps #nohead #insightmeditation #wakingup #contemporaryart #abstractart #geometricart #mixedmediaart #synchronicity #vortex #contemporaryart #patternfieldart #patterndesign #highmodernism #collageart #chicagoart #chicagoartist #chicagoartstudio #quietsun #colors #abstractlandscape

"Beautiful Dawn" used U.S. postage stamps and resin on canvas 40" x 40" 2021

Installation images courtesy of Penny Keeshin/Joy Horwich Gallery

CHICAGO -- Jordan Scott has had a love affair with stamps for as long as he can remember, but it wasn't until he attended an estate sale and ended up with a massive collection that he realized their true potential.

He slowly started incorporating stamps into his work until they eventually took over all of his pieces completely.
Scott uses anywhere from 150 to over 8,000 stamps and can take anywhere from one day to eight weeks to create depending on the size and intricacy of the piece.

However, he has never purchased any new stamps.

"It's really important to me that the stamps that are in my work have been used, are being repurposed and, more importantly, have that hidden history of being sent. Of having a sender and receiver, so that each piece has this other layer to it," he said.

Now nearly 20 years later, he has wowed others with his imagination and his artistry.

"I love and never, never get bored of seeing someone get closer and closer to the peace realizing it's actually made out of postage stamps and watching their Aha moment," said Scott.

Scott hopes to inspire others to work with repurposed materials and to think outside the box.You can find more of his work at jordanscott.com and his Instagram page.

"Independence Day" used U.S. postage stamps and rein on cradled wood panel 8" x 8" 2021

Sunday in the studio - Fourth of July preview...

#fourthofjuly#independenceday
#america #americanflag #starsandstripes #redwhiteandblue
#hypnotic #mandala #opart #hypnoticart #energymandala
#energy #meditativeart #energyart #patternfield #patterndesign #uspostagestamps #ukpostagestamps #postagestampart #vortex #mixedmediaart #mandalaart #contemporaryart #collageart #chicagoart #chicagoartgallery 
#chicagoartist

"Synchronicity" & "Awakened" Each: used U.S. postage stamps & resin on canvas 48" × 48" 2021
Just installed in their beautiful and elegant new home courtesy of Simon Breitbard Fine Arts, San Francisco. @simonbreitbardfinearts

Installation images courtesy of Simon Breitbard Fine Arts.

Awakened" used U.S. postage stamps & resin on canvas 48" × 48"

"Synchronicity" used U.S. postage stamps & resin on canvas 48" × 48"

"Childhood Memories" composite
Archival pigment print on paper, custom sizes, 2021

"Childhood Memories"
Each: used U.K. postage stamps and resin on cradled wood panel 8" x 8" 2021

"De La Sol 2" used U.S. postage stamps and resin on canvas 44" x 44" 

"Art of Emprise" collection,  Emprise Bank, Wichita, KS
Courtesy of: @bluegallerykc in Kansas City, MO

"Energy" used U.S. postage stamps and resin on cradled wood panel 8" x 8" 2021

"Awakened" 48" x48" 2021 available at Simon Breitbard Fine Arts, San Francisco .

"American Arts Series"
each: used U.S. postage stamps and resin on canvas 16" x 16" 2019

1) "Willa Cather" used U.S. postage stamps & resin on canvas 16" × 16" - This meditative piece was created using hundreds of 8c Willa Cather issues from the 1973 "American Arts" series, featuring a profile of the writer's face and rainbow on a calming brown background.

2) "Gershwin" used U.S. postage stamps & resin on canvas 16" × 16" - This meditative piece was created using hundreds of 8c George Gershwin issues from 1973, featuring a profile of the musician's face on a calming green background. 

3)"Robinson Jeffers" used U.S. postage stamps & resin on canvas 16" × 16" - This meditative & hypnotic piece was created using hundreds of 8c Robinson Jeffers issues from the 1973 "American Arts" series, featuring a profile of the writer's face on a calming blue background.

4) "Henry O. Tanner" used U.S. postage stamps & resin on canvas 16" × 16" - This meditative & hypnotic piece was created using hundreds of Henry O. Tanner issues from the 1973 "American Arts" series, featuring a profile of the American painters face and rainbow on a calming light brown background.

Available now at Artspace 8 Gallery, Chicago.

 See more form this A beautiful home for one of my Blue Angel photographs, now hanging on the office of a retired Navy officer who was stationed on an U.S. aircraft carrier. It's a true honor for me to have this piece being appreciated by a Navy veteran. And they did such an amazing framing and matting job as well! See more from this series of photographs here.