Underwater Unveiling
The Kelp Forest stamps made a splash at the October 1st ceremony at Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. Scuba divers unveiled the stamps underwater in the aquarium's Kelp Forest exhibit.
Kelp Forest, the eleventh release in the Nature of America series, was issued in Monterey, California, on October 1. Your first reaction to the dynamic display of colorful creatures in the stamp art might be delight. But, look again: Consider the in-depth research required before the artist could even create the first sketch. Then, guess how many hours it might take you to arrange 27 species — ranging from sea anemone to shark — in a space smaller than a sheet of notebook paper. Finally, consider the persistent attention to detail needed to accurately paint each unique black stripe of a Treefish or each delicate spiral in the shell of a Monterey Turban Snail.
USPS Art Director Ethel Kessler says the design of the Kelp Forest stamps is no miniscule accomplishment. In fact, she calls stamp artist John D. Dawson a “miracle worker,” both with these stamps and with all other ecosystems featured in the Nature of America series.
“He takes this extraordinary collection of flora and fauna,” Kessler says, “and has to figure out how all the pieces fit together, and he does it so elegantly.”
Kessler and Dawson have worked together for more than a decade on the Nature of America series. Each time, the background environment has required incredible investigative power. PhotoAssist, the Postal Service’s research firm, first compiled a list of nearly 50 species found in Pacific’s kelp forests. Then it supplied photos of the underwater-dwelling creatures for Dawson to use as reference. Dr. Steve Lonhart of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary also acted as a consultant, ensuring that the pane would be not only beautiful but also biologically accurate.
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One revision that Dawson was asked to make, for example, was to add rocks in the lower left corner of the pane, because the Pacific Rock Crab would not be resting on kelp, as originally depicted.
This concentration on both artistic design and scientific details is something Dawson thoroughly enjoys. The natural history artist’s meticulous attention to detail stems from his passion for the outdoors and for wildlife. Most of the surface-level creatures depicted on the pane, such as the pelicans and otters, are based on Dawson’s own photographs, taken during past trips to Northern California.
Dawson says he gathered all these photographs and sorted through them to create a first sketch. He then narrowed down the number of species still further. “It’s an amazing challenge,” Dawson says of the beginning of the process. “There are so many possibilities.”
“When you look at the whole stamp sheet, it has to work as an environment,” Kessler adds. “But any one of the 10 stamps could be an extraordinary painting on its own.”
This issuance offers a unique point of view: both above and below surface level, which had been done only once in an aquatic scene before (Pacific Coast Rain Forest, 2000). The vibrant blues and greens make Kelp Forest stand out as well. Dawson admits that color was one of the biggest challenges: “Kelp can be so many different colors, and part of that is how the light hits it underwater.”
After several rounds of sketches and revisions, the final art — which is twice the size of the pane — took Dawson about six months to complete.
So, after taking a longer look at the Kelp Forest pane, you might be more than delighted — you might be positively amazed at each speck of color on a fish, or at how the light reflecting off the kelp changes its color. And perhaps the seamless blend of design and detail will deepen your understanding of how exquisite our ecosystems are.
