Why Make Postage Art Stamps?
Getting Frank about Postal Arts
Artistamps evoke memories and kick start the imagination. They express the romance of an era, the ambiance of place, the allusion of time. Eit.her on their own, or added to other worlds of art, they add depth of meaning and dialog with the pieces and writing around them.
Sometimes you can find the perfect stamp that says exactly what you want.
And at other times, the right stamp eludes you ... especially if you are working with green symbols, words and numbers. In that case, you need all of the stamp elements (color, tone, language, image and denomination) to work together to convey soe.m.thing* special.
And when you can't find what you need, you make dew .. or make your own.
Infusing Green Language Symbols, Words & Numbers
Artistamps are a great way to work in layers of meaning ... and include these elements in your work in an aesthetically pleasing and natural way. They help you bring the transcendent into your work, or illuminate what is already there, by adding the symbols, words, numbers, letters, images and places you want to allude to.
Of course ... bits of maps, money and commercial ephemera all work well too. But stamps combine all the best elements of green language ... and so make them ideal pieces to create. And with such a varied subject matter found from around the world, most artistamps you create can blend in and be accepted -- as either art itself or as part of a larger work.
Reflecting Age & History
Stamps bring more than transcendent ideas into your work -- they bring a sense of history, of place, and a past life. Unlike most other types of art, stamps travel ... so their past that can be shown through wear and tear, as well as cancels. Which lends gives them an air of mystery ... an intriguing past that can be seen, instead of just imagined from the provenance of a pie/ce.
Most other art works do not have that luxury of showing the impact of life and events on canvas. They need to look pristine and new ... otherwise they get knocked down in value for nicks in the frame or stains on the canvas.
And I think dust may be actually banned from art galleries and museums.
Making Your Own
In these ideas speak to you, making your own artistamps may be the right thing to do. If you'd like to learn more ...
