On Wednesday, May 6, Posti will publish three new stamp publications with four different stamps. The stamps feature figures from an enchanted forest, the Finnish flag reflected on water and Santa Claus on his delivery route around the world.
Artist and designer Klaus Haapaniemi has designed decorative stamps that are the perfect choice for the spring's congratulations. The artwork on the stamps is associated with Haapaniemi's Polar Byzantine collection that is based on a lyrical story about animals. Two mysterious figures have been chosen from the story for the Enchanted Forest stamps: a frozen bilberry shrub and a boreal owl with the wings of a butterfly.
In his abundant illustrations, Klaus Haapaniemi seeks inspiration from Eastern Finnish, Slavic and Japanese cultures. Finns know Haapaniemi's style from the popular Taika tableware collection designed for Iittala, for instance. Haapaniemi's personal style was also seen in the glimmering Gold Swan stamp published in 2015.
Enchanted Forest will be issued as a 10-stamp sheet containing two different domestic no-value indicator stamp designs. There will also be a 2-stamp sheet that includes both Enchanted Forest stamps.
The stamp featuring the Finnish flag was created through a design competition organized by Posti in cooperation with Grafia (Association of Visual Communication Designers in Finland) and the Finnish Illustration Association in 2019. The winner of the competition, Ville Tietäväinen, used the Finnish national landscape as a starting point for his design. In the stamp, half of the Finnish flag is reflected on the surface of a still or frozen lake, forming a blue cross.
"The Finnish flag is considered a symbol of lakes, snow, blue sky and clouds. I wanted to find a new, fresh perspective on the blue cross, highlighting its dignified nature. The varnish on the stamp truly brings out the impression of reflection that I sought," Tietäväinen says.
The Blue Reflection stamp sheet has 10 domestic no-value indicator stamps.
The theme of the 2020 EUROPA stamps is ancient postal routes. Posti decided to apply a more extensive approach and chose Santa Claus as the subject of the stamp. On his delivery route in the air, Santa Claus delivers items from the Korvatunturi fell to the right addresses around the world.
In the stamp designed by Klaus Welp, Santa Claus blows a post horn and flies in a sleigh pulled by reindeer. The full moon and the northern lights light his way. The silvery finish added to the stamp enhances the magical atmosphere.
The EUROPA: Ancient Postal Routes stamp sheet contains 10 international no-value indicator stamps.
NOTE! Due to restrictions related to the coronavirus situation, Posti will not organize a first-day event for the stamps published in May.
Image material for the media: http://digilibrary.posti.com/l/pQL7XHSBjpKt
All stamps available for sale are featured in Posti’s online shop at: www.posti.fi/ostoksille
