Åland Art Museum 50 years

Stamp

Gutter Pairs

First Day Cover with stamp

 The 50th anniversary of the Åland Art Museum in 2013 will be marked with a stamp issue. The stamp motif was chosen through a public vote between seven pre-selected works of art from the museum collection.

A vote organized in the spring of 2012 allowed voters to choose between seven works of art by Henrik Nylund, Guy Frisk, Sigrid Granfelt, Robert Hancock, Hildur Stenbäck, Ture Bengtz and Johan Scott. An expert group had selected the seven works of art that are all part of the art museum collection.

Votes could be cast at the Åland Art Museum, on the Post's homepage and at the post office in Mariehamn. Guy Frisk's painting ‘Yearning' won with as much as 42 percent of the total of 1 582 votes cast. The artwork is one of the most popular pieces in the museum collection. The painting mediates a meditative force that captures the onlooker, enticing him or her to return to it. Painted in oil on panel between 1973 and 1975, the work measures 103 x 120 cm. The artwork is part of an extended series of around 400 paintings, the last of which is named ‘Sea of Oblivion'.

The Åland Art Museum is owned and administrated by the Government of Åland. Promoting knowledge about Åland art, stimulating artistic activities and increasing the general interest in the subject field are some of the core operations of the museum.

Technical Details

Issue Date: 09.10.2012

Designer: Minna L. Immonen

Printer: Cartor Security Printing

Process: 4-colour offset

Colours: 4 Colours

Size: 35,4 x 26 mm

Values: €0.60

2013 Issue Plan

January 15:

Åland Art Museum 50 years

February 19:

Postal label, Wooden duck decoys, Long-tailed Duck

Passenger ferries, s/s Ålandsfärjan

April 5:

Loons and grebes (Booklet 2x4 stamps)

May 6:

My Stamps - Åland chees (mini-sheet)

Europa: Postal vehicles

June 4:

Water lilies, white and yellow

July 12:

Music festivals, Island in the sun, Rockoff

August 5:

Passenger ferries, m/s Princess Anastasia

August 20:

Sepac - Peacock butterfly

September 2:

Blue Ribbon

November 9:

Christmas 2012

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New Year 2013

I want to wish you all a wonderful new year 2013!

That 2013 can bring you all Good Health, Happiness, Success and Joy.

A Pink Charity Stamp

In many parts of the world, October is pink.

This is the month when various organisations arrange fund-raising activities to benefit breast cancer research and to promote awareness about the disease. 2012 sees the first Åland charity stamp.

The Åland Cancer Society receives part of the selling price.

The stamp is issued in connection with the Pink Ribbon awareness campaign in October.

Åland graphic designer Carina Sommarström, previously a breast cancer patient herself, has created the stamp.

The Åland charity stamp sells at €1.20, €0.20 of which is awarded in full to the Åland Cancer Society.

Also available on the day of issue are other Pink Ribbon products such as postcards, pins with the pink ribbon logo, a pink model car and a stamp watch.

More products will appear in the Post's web shop at www.posten.ax in October.

A specified percentage of the selling prices of these products will be donated directly to the Åland Cancer Society.

Carina's stamp motif holds a great deal of symbolism, featuring an Amazon, a female warrior without her right breast.

The woman's right breast has been replaced by a tattoo with many different symbols representing important issues to consider when going through cancer treatment.

Technical Details

Issue Date: 01.10.2012

Designer: Carina Sommarström

Printer: Joh. Enschedé Stamps

Process: 4-colour offset

Colours: 4 Colours

Size: 31.5 x 36.25 mm

Values: €1.00, €0.20

Sea-inspired Christmas

Finnish artist Minna L. Immonen created this year's Christmas stamp, combining a traditional Christmas motif with typically Åland features.

Minna L. Immonen has been drawing since childhood, focusing on painting since her senior school days.

Having completed an education as a graphic designer and attended various art schools, she started her own company Minna-Kortti in the 1980s.

Minna's watercolour paintings are today familiar to large parts of the Finnish population, her illustrations distinguishing themselves by the individual story told by each illustration. In addition to cards, stamps and paintings, Minna has designed China ware for Arabia of Finland, including a children's series with teddy bears and Christmas mugs and jars with traditional Christmas designs such as pixies, apples and gingerbread biscuits. In 2008, she designed the cover of a Fazer's chocolate box, and she has also illustrated a number of books. Minna describes the Åland Christmas stamp in this way: "Inspired by the sea, the motif still has a Christmassy accent.

The motif on the first day cover symbolizes the arrival of Christmas mail."

Technical Details

Issue Date: 09.10.2012

Designer: Minna L. Immonen

Printer: Cartor Security Printing

Process: 4-colour offset

Colours: 4 Colours

Size: 35,4 x 26 mm

Values: €0.60