An artistamp (a portmanteau of the words "artist" and "stamp") or artist's stamp refers to a postage stamp-like artform. It is similar to a Cinderella stamp in that it is not valid for postage, but it differs from a forgery or a bogus stamp in that (typically) the creator has no intent to fool any post office or collector of stamps. (However, depending on how the stamp is used, it may be difficult to distinguish artistamps from local post stamps.) The artistamp is intended to be a miniature artwork which can depict or commemorate any subject its creator chooses. A portmanteau (IPA pronunciation: RP, US) is a word or morpheme that fuses two or more words or word parts to give a combined or loaded meaning. ... A selection of Hong Kong postage stamps A postage stamp is evidence of pre-paying a fee for postal services. ... A cinderella stamp is a label similar to a postage stamp which may or may not be issued by a post office. ... Forgery is the process of making or adapting objects or documents (see false document), with the intention to deceive. ... Small-town post office and town hall in Lockhart, Alabama A post office is a facility (in most countries, a government one) where the public can purchase postage stamps for mailing correspondence or merchandise, and also drop off or pick up packages or other special-delivery items. ... Stamp ca 1845 of Boyds City Express, which operated in New York City from 1844 to 1867. ... The Common Man featured in a commemorative golden postage stamp released by the Indian Postal Service on the 150th anniversary of the Times of India - 1988 A commemorative stamp is a postage stamp issued to honor or commemorate a place, event or person. ...

History

The first artist to produce an "artist’s stamp" is open to interpretation. Fine artists were certainly commissioned to create poster stamps (advertising posters in collectable stamp form) from the late 1800s, but none appear to have worked with the format outside the commercial context. The definition of an artist is wide-ranging and covers a broad spectrum of activities to do with creating art, practising the arts and/or demonstrating an art. ... Fine art refers to arts that are concerned with beauty or which appealed to taste (SOED 1991). ... A contract is a legally binding exchange of promises or agreement between parties that the law will enforce. ... Advertising is nothing but just waste of money. ... Poster from the Spanish Revolution A poster is any large piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. ... A collectible (or collectable) is a manufactured item designed for people to collect. ...

In 1919, Dadaist Raoul Hausmann affixed a self-portrait postage stamp to a postcard,^[1] but given that Dada was determinedly anti-art (at least in theory), calling this an "artist’s stamp" seems almost counterintuitive. Cover of the first edition of the publication, Dada. ... Raoul Hausmann (July 12, 1886–February 1, 1971) was an Austrian sculptor and writer. ... Roman-Egyptian funeral portrait of a young boy A portrait is a painting (portrait painting), photograph (portrait photography), or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. ... For the record label, see Postcard Records. ... Cover of the first edition of the publication, Dada. ... Anti art is a work that is exhibited or delivered in a conventional context but makes fun of serious art or challenges the nature of art. ...

German artist Karl Schwesig, while a political prisoner during World War II, drew a series of pseudo-stamps on the blank, perforated margins of postage stamp sheets, using coloured inks. This 1941 series, which illustrated life in a concentration camp, has been claimed by Jas Felter, curator of several exhibitions of the form, as the first true set of artist's stamps.^[2] A political prisoner is someone held in prison or otherwise detained, perhaps under house arrest, because their ideas or image are deemed by a government to either challenge or threaten the authority of the state. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... A perforation is a hole made by puncturing a surface. ... It has been suggested that Internment be merged into this article or section. ...

Robert Watts, a member of the Fluxus group, became the first artist to create a full sheet of [faux] postage stamps within a fine art context when he produced a perforated block of 15 stamps combining popular and erotic imagery in 1961.^[3] Fluxus – a name taken from a Latin word meaning to flow – is an international network of artists, composers and designers noted for blending different artistic media and disciplines in the 1960s. ... Popular culture, sometimes called pop culture, consists of widespread cultural elements in any given society. ... By todays standards Fragonards The Swing is rather tame, but in the 18th century this painting of a young lady being in a position where a man can look up her skirts was considered highly erotic. ...

Multimedia artist James Warren "Jas" Felter curated an exhibition called Artists' Stamps and Stamp Images at Simon Fraser Gallery, Simon Fraser University, Canada, in 1974: the first exhibition to acknowledge the stamp as an artistic medium. This collection, which toured Europe and America for the next ten years, led to an explosion in the number of artists using stamps as an artistic format. Art exhibitions are traditionally the space in which art objects (in the most general sense) meet an audience. ... Simon Fraser University (SFU) is located in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, part of the metropolitan area of Vancouver, British Columbia. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ...

Canadian multimedia artist and philatelist T Michael Bidner, who made his life's work the cataloguing of all known artist's stamps, coined the word "artistamp" in 1982.^[4] It quickly became the term of choice amongst mail artists. Multimedia Artists These are artists using a range of media to communicate their art, such as installations, rooms, sound and visual effects. ... Close examination of the Penny Red, left, reveals a 148 in the margin, indicating that it was printed with plate #148. ... Mail art is art which uses the postal system as a medium. ...

In 1989 Felter curated the first of three International Biannual Exhibitions of Artistamps at Davidson Galleries in Seattle. City nickname Emerald City City bird Great Blue Heron City flower Dahlia City mottos The City of Flowers The City of Goodwill City song Seattle, the Peerless City Mayor Greg Nickels County King County Area   - Total   - Land   - Water   - % water 369. ...

Artist Steve McQueen created artistamps showing the faces of British soldiers killed in Iraq.^{[citation needed]}

Recognition of the art form

Despite the exhibitions, history, number of artists and global sweep of the artistamp movement, the concept had long been ignored by major institutions and derided by the arts establishment: before his death in 1989, Bidner attempted to donate his definitive collection to several major Canadian institutions. To his shocked disgust, he was turned down by every one. It eventually went to Artpool, an art research centre in Budapest, Hungary.^[5] However, in 2007 the exhibition "Para stamps – Four decades of artists' stamps from Fluxus to the Internet" was held at the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, Hungary. Donation is a gift to a fund or cause, typically for charitable reasons. ... The Definitive is a show on MTV2. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

The artistamp process

Artistamps are often created uniquely or in limited editions. Artistamps have been produced as multiples of one design per sheet; a multitude of designs per page; as miniature sheets with a decorative or inclusive border; or any combination/size/shape the artist chooses. A Limited Edition Art Print is a very high-quality limited printing, signed and numbered by the artist, most of the time offered with a certificate of authenticity. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Artists who regularly use the form often create fantasy stamps for their own imaginary "postal administrations" or countries – in many cases developing or complementing an entire "governmental system" – and their subjects may reflect personal interests, from the political to the fantastic. Artistamp creators often include their work on legitimate mail, alongside valid postage stamps, in order to decorate the envelope with their art. In many countries this is perfectly legal, provided the artistamp doesn't pretend to be, or is unlikely to be mistaken for, a legal postage stamp. When so combined (and sometimes, less strictly speaking, even when not so) the artistamp is part of the mail art genre. A British pillar box The postal system is a system by which written documents typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages containing other matter, are delivered to destinations around the world. ... This article describes a type of political entity. ... For the government in parliamentary systems, see Executive (government). ... Mail art is art which uses the postal system as a medium. ...

Techniques for the creation of artistamps may or may not include perforating the boundaries of the piece to resemble a traditional gummed stamp, as well as applying gum to the reverse side of the paper. Self-adhesive artistamps have also been made; however, this type of adhesive may not be archival. Whole sheets of such stamps are often made at one time. The artwork may be hand-drawn or painted, lithographed or offset-printed, photographed, photocopied, etched, engraved, silk-screened, rubber stamped, or produced on a computer printer. As with the design, the production method is entirely the choice of the artist. In philately, gum is the substance applied to the back of a postage stamp to enable it to adhere to a letter or other mailed item. ... Self-adhesive stamps were first issued in such tropical climates as Sierra Leone and Tonga in an attempt to avoid the sticking-together tendencies traditional water-activated stamps had in humid conditions. ... Lithography stone and mirror-image print of a map of Munich. ... Offset lithography printing process Offset printing is a widely used printing technique where the inked image is transferred (or offset) from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface. ... Photography [fәtɑgrәfi:],[foʊtɑgrәfi:] is the process of recording pictures by means of capturing light on a light-sensitive medium, such as a film or electronic sensor. ... A small, much-used Xerox copier in a high school library. ... Christ Preaching, known as The Hundred Guilder print; etching c1648 by Rembrandt Etching is the process of using strong acid to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal (the original process - in modern manufacturing other chemicals may be used... Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. ... Screen-printing, also known as silkscreening or serigraphy, is a printmaking technique that creates a sharp-edged single-color image using a stencil and a porous fabric. ...

For artists who wish to produce their own artistamps, the personal computer is a godsend: cheap colour printing, in small or large runs, is ideally suited to artistamp production. It's no coincidence that the early '70s explosion in artistamp creation paralleled the development and widespread use of colour photocopiers.

Makers of artistamps sometimes apply cancellations to them when they are applied to covers; first day of issue covers for artistamps exist. A machine cancellation On mail, a cancellation (or cancel for short) is a postal marking applied to a postage stamp or postal stationery indicating that the item has been used. ... In philately, a cover is an envelope or package, typically with stamps that have been cancelled. ... First Day Cover for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, issued 22nd July 1981. ...

The rise of the Internet has seen the development of a new concept in artistamps: cyberstamps, designed specifically to be viewed on-line (often sent with e-mails) and never intended to be printed. Cyberstamps also allow the use of animated imagery. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The bouncing ball animation (below) consists of these 6 frames. ...

Artistamp artists

Creators of artistamps include Donald Evans, Anna Banana, Patricia Tavenner, Jas W Felter, Steve Smith, among many others. However, outdoing all others is the prolific New Zealander Bruce Grenville; Grenville's output spans more than three decades and encompasses an entire alternative universe of artistamp countries. These include the Sultanate of Occussi-Ambeno, the Kingdom of all the Sedang (not to be confused with the historic Kingdom of Sedang), the Sultanate of Upper Yafa, the People's Republic of Kempland, the Free Vinland Republic, the Republic of Liegerland, the Republic of Port Maria, Tui Tui, Aldabra, Karenni, Raoul, the Land of Muggy, Terra Candella, Cryonica, Aramoana, Whangamomona, Lar?, Nova Arcadia, the Antarctic Confederation and the Khanate of Bokhara. Grenville's artistamp world even has its own imaginary "United Nations," the "International Council of Independent States" (ICIS). His creations are sometimes identified as micronations; however, being completely fictitious and without "participants", they do not fit the definition. Donald Evans was an American artist (1945-1977), who was known for creating hand-painted postage stamps (artistamps) of fictional countries. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Official language French/Vietnamese Headquarters Pelei Agna Last Head of State Charles-Marie David de Mayréna I The Kingdom of Sedang (sometimes referred to as the Kingdom of the Sedang) was an ephemeral political entity established in the latter part of the 19th Century by a French adventurer Charles... Map of the Federation of South Arabia Upper Yafa, Upper Yafai (Arabic: يافع العليا []), or the Sultanate of Upper Yafa (Arabic: سلطنة يافع العليا []), was a state in the Aden Protectorate. ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... This article is about entities that are not officially recognised by world governments or major international organisations. ...

Publishers have been known to jump on the artistamp bandwagon: cartoonist Garry Trudeau, creator of the Doonesbury comic strip, released The 1990 Doonesbury Stamp Album through Penguin in 1990; this album contained a large number of perforated, gummed stamps featuring characters and settings from Doonesbury. Another example is a series of Ankh-Morpork stamps created to publicise the Discworld novel Going Postal; the stamps proved so popular that more Discworld stamps are planned. Cartoonist Jack Elrod at work. ... Garry Trudeau Garretson Beekman Trudeau (born July 21, 1948, in New York City) is an American cartoonist, best known for the Doonesbury comic strip. ... Doonesbury is a comic strip by Garry Trudeau, popular in the United States and other parts of the world. ... This article is about the comic strip, the sequential art form as published in newspapers and on the Internet. ... It has been suggested that Penguin Modern Poets, Penguin Great Ideas be merged into this article or section. ... Ankh-Morpork is a fictional city-state which prominently features in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series of fantasy novels. ... Cover of an early edition of The Colour of Magic; art by Josh Kirby Discworld is a comedic fantasy book series by the British author Terry Pratchett set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which are in turn standing on the back of... Memorial of the 1986 post office incident in Edmond, Oklahoma. ... Discworld stamps are a series of artistamps based on the Discworld novels of Terry Pratchett, specifically Going Postal. ...

Purchase and collection

For the collector, artistamps can be purchased via the internet, either through on-line auctions or direct from artists or other collectors. Many artistamp creators are happy to swap their creations with other practitioners of the form, either directly or within the broader concept of mail art. eBay is one of the most widely known online auction websites The online auction business model is one in which participants bid for products and services over the Internet. ...

For collecting or creating, artistamps are ideally suited to those with limited funds, or those whose interests lie in subverting the dominant paradigm. Since the late 1960s, the word paradigm (IPA: ) has referred to a thought pattern in any scientific discipline or other epistemological context. ...

References

1. ^ John Held, Jr., Robert Watts: The Complete Postage Stamp Sheets, 1961-1986
2. ^ Peter Frank, Postal Modernism: Artists' Stamps and Stamp Images
3. ^ John Held, Jr., ibid.
4. ^ James W. Felter, Artistamps: Francobolli d’artista, Italy, 2000
5. ^ György Galántai, Thomas Michael Bidener (1944-1989): A Commemorative Exhibition

See also

• mail art
• philately

Mail art is art which uses the postal system as a medium. ... Close examination of the Penny Red, left, reveals a 148 in the margin, indicating that it was printed with plate #148. ...

External links

• Jas Cyberspace Museum – Jas Felter’s website, which includes the International Directory of Artistamp Creators, an artistamp gallery and an archive of articles on the medium.
• Artpool
• Kingdom of all the Sedang - includes links to many of the Grenville artistamp "countries" listed above.
• International Council of Independent States (ICIS)
• The Matangi Island Philatelic Bureau
• The Cautese Nationál Postal Disservice
• Misteraitch Art1stamps - Weapons of Class Destruction
• Kunstterrorist Organisation - Limited edition Artistamps
• International Union of Mail Artists