|
|
Guides and Information
 |
By Gwen Bruno (gwen21)
Garden of Love Garden of Love’s creator, award-winning illustrator Jose Ortega, says his work “depicts the abundance of life, its generosity, whose spirit is to be shared by all its creatures. Love’s definition is broader than romantic love. Love is that colorful, full feeling you get when you enjoy being a part of and sharing in the generosity of life.” Ortega, who works in New York and Toronto, says his abstract garden design was influenced by tapestries, textiles and mosaics. The Garden of Love stamp set is slated for issue on May 19, 2011.
Herbs Since ancient times people have employed herbs for culinary, pharmaceutical and spiritual uses. Pungent oregano adds flavor to many dishes, particularly in Italian cuisine. The flax plant's stems can be transformed into linen, and its seeds into oil; its beautiful blue flowers were once believed to provide protection against sorcery. The stately foxglove, so named because its speckled bell-shaped flowers resembled the fingers of gloves for fairies or the "little folk,” served as a primitive medicine despite the plant's toxicity. The aromatic bluish-violet flowers of the lavender plant lend a characteristically pleasant and clean fragrance to perfumes, soaps and potpourris. Gray-leaved sage is a kitchen garden standby, useful for flavoring meats and stuffing.
Botanist Asa Gray The third set in a Postal Service series called American Scientists is scheduled for release on June 16, 2011. Among this year's honorees is Asa Gray (1810-1888), who is regarded as the pre-eminent American botanist of the 19th century. Originally trained as a physician, Gray dedicated himself to botany and served as professor of natural history at Harvard University. His vast knowledge of American flowers proved helpful to the studies of Charles Darwin, whom Gray considered a colleague and mentor. The most popular of Asa Gray’s works, “Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States, from New England to Wisconsin and South to Ohio and Pennsylvania Inclusive,” came to be called simply “Gray’s Manual,” and remains a botanical standard to this day. American Scientists is the work of art director Ethel Kessler and Greg Berger, who collaborated to design collages showcasing important men and women of science. Each stamp carries a photograph, signature, and items or symbols meaningful to each scientist’s body of work. Besides Asa Gray, chemist Melvin Calvin, physicist Maria Goeppert Mayer and biochemist Severo Ochoa are also recognized.
Wedding Roses Scheduled for release in August, 2011, Wedding Roses is a continuation of the Postal Service’s Weddings series. This series is sought after for wedding RSVP mailings as well as bridal shower invitations, wedding announcements and thank you notes. The stamp’s serenely beautiful photograph, taken by Renee Comet of Washington, D.C., features two white roses delicately placed atop wedding correspondence. The rose, long a symbol of love and romance, is the quintessential wedding flower. White roses in particular are appropriate, as they signify new beginnings, honor and reverence.
Sources: United States Postal Service: 2011 Stamp Program Debuts Stamp News Now: 2011 USPS New Issue Calendar Images provided courtesy of the U.S. Postal Service
|
|
[ Home |
About |
Advertise |
Mission |
Featured Companies |
Submit an Article |
Terms of Use |
Tour |
Rules |
Privacy Policy |
Contact Us ]
|
 |