new york – Millions of stamps designed by renowned New York City artists adorn mailing envelopes distributed throughout the United States.
The Brooklyn neighborhood that inspired floral painter Kim Parker
A spring stroll through the brownstone-lined streets of Carroll Gardens makes it easy to see why Kim Parker always thinks of flowers.
“For me, the garden is a metaphor for community,” she told CBS New York’s Hannah Kriger.
As she sits with her paintbrush, the birds chirp and the lilacs bloom. Within minutes, the buds and flowers on the paper reflect the aptly named area outside her front door.
“As a flower painter, yes, I’m really coming into my own. And I go for walks with my husband and our dog. I call them flower walks,” she says.
Artist Kim Parker approached to design Forever Stamp
A classically trained flutist, artist, designer, and teacher, Parker decided to lean into his love of painting instead. She turned that into a career spanning over 30 years and is best known for her bright floral patterns that decorate clothing, tableware, and furniture in her home.
“After working so many jobs in various areas of the fashion industry, I decided to strike out on my own in my early 30s and founded my own design studio, Kim Parker Designs, where I created my own floral prints and “I was selling floral prints anonymously. I popularized geometric and striped patterns on silk and paper throughout the fashion industry,” she says.
Her designs have been featured in many major retailers, hospitals, movies, and television shows.
Last April, the U.S. Postal Service approached her to design two new stamps for this year.
The result is a panel of vibrant flowers painted in ink and gouache paint. A two-ounce stamp called “Wedding Blooms” and a “Celebration Blooms” design are now available on Forever stamps.
More than 250 million of these stamps have been printed so far and are designed to send a subtle message of joy, according to the USPS.
The next time you receive a special piece of mail, there might be a little Brooklyn garden in the top right corner.
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