Other January stamps depict golden brown Karelian pasties and sparkling ice crystals
Finnish Stamp Year 2016 will be launched with three new stamp publications that will be released for sale on Friday, January 22. The Valentine's Day stamps come in a distinctive five-stamp booklet with animal motifs. The food-themed stamp depicts golden-brown Karelian pasties. The stylish winter stamp presents an ice crystal that actually sparkles.
Anne Vasko is a first-timer as a stamp artist; her stamp illustrations for this year's Valentine's Day stamps depict stylized wild and domestic animals. The animal motifs in the stamp booklet Together include a dog, a cat, a finnhorse, an owl and a deer.
"For the stamps, I wanted to depict friendship between different animal species. The animals' encounters are sympathetic and a little tongue-in-cheek. Many of the animals are also faithful friends to people, sharing their everyday life," says Vasko.
A newcomer in the field of stamp design, Anne Vasko is an experienced artist who combines different techniques and materials in her illustrations. She has illustrated several books, both her own and books by others, and she has also designed textile patterns. Vasko is also the Finnish pioneer in coloring books for adults, the first of which was published already in 2007.
The Karelian pasty is a traditional baked product familiar to all Finns, suitable for both everyday life and festive moments. The motif of the stamp designed by Klaus Welp is a tray full of freshly baked, golden brown Karelian pasties. The pasties on the stamps form a continuous pattern in the 10-stamp sheet, resembling water-lily pads or stones in the water.
The roots of the Karelian pasty are in northern and eastern Karelia, from where the pasty tradition spread throughout Finland after the Second World War. Karelian pasties are a popular snack you can buy at any grocery store, and the baking skills are passed from one generation to the next. The Karelian pasty is covered by the European Union's food name and product protection.
The Karelian Pasty stamp is part of the 2016 Nordic stamp series, the theme of which is Nordic culinary culture.
Thanks to printing technology, the winter stamp to be released in January features a glittering ice crystal that glimmers just like genuine ice crystals. The holographic foil printed on the foil sheet reflects all the colors of the spectrum when light hits it from different angles. The color scheme of the stamp designed by Ari Lakaniemi and Susanna Rumpu is complemented by white and blue as additional colors.
The Ice Crystal stamp is based on a genuine six-pointed star-like ice crystal photographed by Pekka Honkakoski. Microphotography is a brilliant medium for highlighting the unique structure and ice-sculptural beauty of the ice crystal. Honkakoski is considered to be one of the leading icw crystal photographers in the world.
All stamps available for sale are featured in Posti's online shop.
