Artist paints portraits of flags
By James Breig
Painter Laura Stutzman must know how to pose flags. After all, her images of them are reproduced by the hundreds of thousands. Her second set of four flag images is now available from the U.S. Postal Service. The first quartet showed flags at different times of day; the new issue shows them in different seasons.
The artist recently answered some questions about art and flags:
Q. How did you come to design stamps?
A. I was commissioned because of a random online search [by the USPS] for illustrated flags, and there was no doubt that my website had the most samples of that particular topic. I had gotten flag art assignments over the years. It’s not uncommon for the flag to be illustrated, rather than photographed, to capture it in different moods and at interesting angles.
Q. What guidelines does the USPS require you to follow, and in what ways do they limit you?
A. This was a particularly sensitive project because, in addition to the rules of the stamp world, there are specific protocols for the treatment of the flag in imagery. The way the flag is lit at night is rather rigid, and the rule says the flag should read left to right (stars first, then stripes). Those are just two of the restrictions.
Q. Do you have a special interest in flags, or is it just a coincidence that you have done two series?
A. I clearly have a fetish… of the most wholesome variety. I’ve always felt the American flag had a personality that could be captured, so I’ve approached it as I would a portrait.
Q. When you began the new set of flag stamps, what was your creative process?
A. First, sketches and layouts of possible solutions. The composition is important at this stage, and the relationship between the four stamps is explored. As a set, they need to have a familial feel to work as a series. These are then reviewed by the Stamp Advisory Committee. This is when you find out how far off you are. You make the necessary adjustments to accommodate those suggestions. This happens over a period of several months as the Committee meets on a quarterly schedule. Then all that’s left to do is the finished painting.
Q. What satisfaction do you get from designing stamps that will be used by millions of people?
A. It’s an honor to be a part of something so integral to everyday American culture. Stamps are currency, and that’s a far more lofty goal than I ever hoped to attain. It’s really the biggest piece of my career as an illustrator, in spite of the size.