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 North vs. South, 1861 |
In 1958 when I was ten years old, I became a stamp collector. My parents said it was a good way to learn about the world, and my sisters were already collecting, so they could help me. As a Boy Scout, I was always looking for potential merit badges, and when I was given a hand lens as a part of the equipment of collecting, I was hooked. My favorites were the simple and elegant Japanese designs of the World War II era. In the late 1950's the war was still a raw memory for the adults in my life, and for me the thought of the "enemy" having used the stamps on their war correspondence was strangely compelling. My sister soon learned that she could get me to do the dishes for her if she would give me a few stamps. Before long I had earned away most of her collection.
Stamps were my introduction to the world of the miniature, a world in which I eventually graduated to fine microscopes in biology college classes, and a career in genetics education. Through the years I cherished the stamp collection as a relic of my childhood, but recently I have begun to collect stamps again, this time through on-line auctions. I look for graphic and colorful designs under a dollar apiece, and when I am sure I can assemble 50 stamps, I begin the process of cutting a block from which I can print.
The process: I computer scan a postage stamp and print in reverse onto parchment paper [Bienfang No. 100], then glue [Photo Mount 3M No. 6092] onto a type high linoleum block [Speedball or Jack Richeson]. I clamp the block until the glue has set, and cut through the paper using rotating blade cutters [X-Acto craft swivel knife, Grifhold 114 swivel knife, and other cutting tools]. I work mostly using a stereo dissecting microscope [Bausch & Lomb 13x], a task made easier from years of experience as a geneticist using a microscope working with Drosophila fruit flies.
The resulting fine art print is produced as a limited edition of 50 prints (occasionally 100). I collage a genuine stamp at the lower right of the image area, the traditional spot for the artist signature. The final print is signed, titled and numbered at the bottom of a generous margin. Thus I am hopefully able to visualize the stamp art in a form that can be appreciated without magnification.
Stamps were my introduction to the world of the miniature, a world in which I eventually graduated to fine microscopes in biology college classes, and a career in genetics education. Through the years I cherished the stamp collection as a relic of my childhood, but recently I have begun to collect stamps again, this time through on-line auctions. I look for graphic and colorful designs under a dollar apiece, and when I am sure I can assemble 50 stamps, I begin the process of cutting a block from which I can print.
The process: I computer scan a postage stamp and print in reverse onto parchment paper [Bienfang No. 100], then glue [Photo Mount 3M No. 6092] onto a type high linoleum block [Speedball or Jack Richeson]. I clamp the block until the glue has set, and cut through the paper using rotating blade cutters [X-Acto craft swivel knife, Grifhold 114 swivel knife, and other cutting tools]. I work mostly using a stereo dissecting microscope [Bausch & Lomb 13x], a task made easier from years of experience as a geneticist using a microscope working with Drosophila fruit flies.
The resulting fine art print is produced as a limited edition of 50 prints (occasionally 100). I collage a genuine stamp at the lower right of the image area, the traditional spot for the artist signature. The final print is signed, titled and numbered at the bottom of a generous margin. Thus I am hopefully able to visualize the stamp art in a form that can be appreciated without magnification.
