Stamp Collage Christmas tree card

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I recently made this Christmas tree from postage stamps. The idea came initially from US Greetings stamps featuring a Christmas tree bauble. I thought they would look lovely hanging from the tree along with other "stamps" including a Christmas stocking, bell, angels and toys.

Merry Christmas!

These are available in Made in Stroud Shop, Stroud, Gloucestershire and also in the pop up shop in Beechwood Shopping centre, Cheltenham which is called Artshop run by the disabilities charity Artshape. They have a great range of reasonably priced artwork made by students, tutors and supporters of Artshape. A great place to purchase unusual and individual gifts.

The shop will be open until 24th December.

Christmas card - Stamp Collaged Angel

Inspired by a wooden angel seen in a shop in Orvieto, Italy this Angel's wings are made from stamps of Finland. Stamps from all over the world have also been used in this Christmas card creation. Available in Made In Stroud Shop and also the Artshape Artshop in Beechwood Shopping Centre, Cheltenham.

Open Studio - I Saw three ships

News of my exhibition, I Saw Three Ships, has appeared in both Stroud newspapers, The Stroud News and Journal and Stroud Life, in the What's On pages. Hopefully with leaflets also having been distributed in shops such as Made in Stroud, Stroud Art Shop, Pegasus art shop, Stroud Subscription rooms and via e mail and post to known contacts, should have a few visitors this week-end.
All is now ready and the mince pies are in the oven! Just hoping for a good day, weatherwise.
Park in Bisley road by the cemetery and walk short distance along to the studio. Plenty of signs to help visitors find the way.
I'm really pleased with new work including a Christmas tree, made entirely from stamps from all over the world, and particularly love the Christmas tree baubles and Christmas stockings which are made from US Christmas stamps!

Stamp Collages on Show in Stroud 3rd and 4th December

Rachel Markwick's Studio will be open to the public on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th December from 10 am until 5 pm on both days. A wonderful variety work including original Stamp Collages, framed and unframed, prints and canvas prints, as well as greetings cards will be available to purchase. Christmas cards also taken from original designs made of stamps will be available.

Secret Artist, Museum in the Park, Stroud

Just about to deliver my postcard sized artwork to the Museum in the Park in Stratford Park, Stroud for the Secret Artist Project. It should be a really exciting display of work which will be on show this week-end at the Museum from 11.00 each day. I know several other artists who have donated their work and am really looking forward to going along.
The idea is that you buy a ticket for £15 and you will be allocated a secret number and that will be matched up with one of the pieces of work at the end of the exhibition, but you don't know which you are getting until then! A bit like Secret Santa!!

Can't show my piece of work here ...because it's a secret of course!

Beautifully framed prints of my stamp collage ships

I recently had an order for these three prints to be framed with the relevant verses of the poem Cargoes by John Masefield incorporated in each mount. The three ships are the Quinquireme of Nineveh, the Stately Spanish Galleon and the Dirty British Coaster. Lesley Young has done an excellent job with the framing! These stamp collage prints and cards continue to be very popular and are travelling far and wide. One has gone to the vast harbour of Singapore, others to Manchester docks! They can also currently be seen in Beechwood Shopping centre in the Artshape Artshop, open until 24th Decemeber from Tuesday to Saturday each week.

Artshape Artshop Open in Beechwood Shopping Centre

Unit 15 in Beechwood shopping centre, Cheltenham is now the Artshape Artshop until at least Saturday 5th November, with the possibility that this time may be extended.

A wonderful variety of work is on sale in the shop, made by artists and students who work for Artshape or who attend classes run by the charity. 20% of sale price will be donated to Artshape, and it's well worth supporting them. Visit http://www.artshape.co.uk/ to find out more about classes and courses run by Artshape and to see some of the work on sale.

I have several of my stamp collage canvas prints and pictures on sale, as well as cards and a couple of very eye catching A1 framed Union Jack and US Stars and Stripes posters! You can also visit my website on http://www.rachelmarkwick.com/

People are so kind!

After seeing the article in the American Philatelist, a very kind reader from Massachusetts sent me a whole box of US stamps. Can't wait to start making some more collages, but will also keep some for my own collection!

This stamp says it all : Letters Lift Spirits.

Stamp Collages in US Stamp Magazine

This article is in the October issue of The American Philatelist.

The Amazing Stamp Collages of Rachel Markwick

This is the title of a 4 page article which has appeared in The American Philatelist magazine October 2011 issue. It can be viewed by clicking onto www.stamps.org/services/ser_ap.htm and looking in the October issue from P.938. It came as a result of a visit to my studio by David Ahl, an American visiting Stroud during the Open Studios Site 10 festival.

Stroud Open Studios June 2011

My studio was open to the public for two week-ends and in spite of the rain many people came here to see my work. It was great to meet so many visitors, some local and some from much further away. It's lovely to hear that visitors are now coming to Stroud in June specially to visit artists' studios during this well established event.

My stamp collages created a great deal of interest and I received some amazing comments in my visitors' book. Children enjoyed doing the quiz which I think made their visit a memorable event and helped them and their parents examine the work even more closely.

The great thing about it is that I think there is something for eveyone and it also seems to appeal to people's love of nostalgia. Many have collected stamps at some time of their lives and have memories of certain stamps. The Blue Peter competition Christmas stamp, which features on the Union Jack collaged flag was commented on more than once and I was reminded of the actual programme where they showed post office staff checking sheets of stamps for errors. I found an error on the stamp in my own collection when I was nine years old, so it must have been a fairly common error!

Visitors' comments: "I didn't know stamps could be so gorgeous"

"Ingenious" "Fascinating"

"So inventive! Always interesting to see what you're up to!"

"Delightfully original! Great!

"Rachel's artwork is phenomenal. I love the style and think it is a really
great idea for recycling stamps and turning them into artwork. "

".. a really great body of work .."

"Lovely exhibition and you have been so helpful and cheerful. Thanks"


And thanks to all who came to see it!

Union Jacks and more ...

This week-end is the start of Stroud Open Studios. My studio will be open to the public on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th June, and also next week-end 18th and 19th June from 10.30 to 18.00 each day. Nearby are many other artists also with their studios open at the same times and you can view the online brochure on http://www.sitefestival.org.uk/ Click on the Open Studios brochure to get full details of the studios and directions.

This huge Union Jack will be on show in my studios.

It's an A1 high quality print taken from an original collages made entirely of British stamps. Smaller original versions of stamp collaged Union Jacks will also be on show, together with canvas prints of flags from many other nations. I will also have a wide range of greetings cards featuring my stamp collages , oil paintings and oil pastels.

Hope to see you!

Compton Verney, Warwickshire

Alfred Wallis

We had a great afternoon at Compton Verney in Warwickshire. They put on some wonderful exhibitions there and are currently showing Alfred Wallis and Ben Nicholson and Wool Work: A Sailor's Art both of which are on until 5th June. What the folk say is on until 11th December.

My particular interest was in the wool work exhibition and we were given a talk by one of the curators, Bridget Crowley, entitled "Flags and frigates: The art of the mariner, which was most interesting and covered the history of the wool work pictures. These are not often on view to the public due to their fragile nature and the risk of the colured wools fading if exposed to bright light. A few of the pieces on show were available to buy as cards, but I can't wait for a catalogue to be produced, showing more if not all of the work in this interesting and colourful exhibition.

I have always loved the naive paintings of Alfred Wallis, and to find so many on display at Compton Verney was quite a surprise. The curators have put together an exhibition filling several rooms with the work of Wallis and the artist Ben Nicholson who first discovered him at his home in St Ives. There are more of Alfred Wallis's paintings here than on permanent display in Tate St Ives, and it is well worth the journey to Compton Verney to catch this exhibition before it finishes on 5th June.

Flag of Argentina

The unusual colour of the Argentina flag, "celeste", or celestial blue, a paler blue than that which usually appears in many other nations' flags, is said to be the colour of the sky which inspired General Manuel Belgrano before going into battle. In 1810 Belgrano led demonstrations supporting liberation from Spain. The other version of the story about the colours and symbolism of the flag is that it is based on the blue and white cockades used to commemmorate the 25th May uprising, when the clouds over Beunos Aires cleared to reveal the sun in a blue sky. The sun on the official Argentine flag is depicted with a face - my flag's sun features a stamp with the portrait of General Belgrano. Many of Argentina's stamps commemmorate their famous leaders, including Belgrano himself, San Martin, and Rivadavia. The well known , Eva Peron, wife of President Juan Peron is commemmorated on many stamps including one in the centre of my stamp collage flag, 45c blue issued in 1952, shown next to it is the 5c blue stamp which was issued in 1946 on the Installation of Juan Peron. Stamps included in the upper blue band of the flag include several showing the maps of Argentina and its territories, including the disputed Falkland Islands or Las Islas Malvinas, The landscape and heritage of the country also features in many beautifully designed stamps.

This design is available as a greetings card, and can also be ordered as a canvas print, standard size approx approximately 28 x 39 cms, or custom made in larger sizes.

Flag of Brazil

This stamp collage flag made up entirely of stamps from Brazil took quite a while to make, mainly due to the lack of yellow stamps to make the diamond shape. Yellow stamps generally seem quite difficult to find! The yellow diamond actually represents Brazil's mineral wealth,and the green background symbolizes the Amazon rainforests. The blue sphere shows the sky as seen from Rio de Janeiro at the time of Brazil's independence on 15th November 1889. There are 27 stars each representing a state with the stars varying in size according to the constellations, and not any reflection on the size of any of the states themselves. The white band represents the equator and is insribed with words which mean Order and Progress.

In the green section are included stamps issued in 1954 portraying famous Brazilians including Admiral Tamandare, Duke of Caxias, J. Murtinho, R. Barbosa. Public Health Pioneer, A. Lutz is commemmorated on a stamp issued in 1955. A stamp issued in 1962 (second stamp down on far right) was issued on the 50th anniversary of the ascent of the Finger of God Mountain, 8c. Brazil's victory in World Football championships is commemmorated on a stamp issued in 1962. Brazil's flag appears on a stamp issued in 1991, which has no value shown.

The flag shown here is available as a canvas print, hand stretched onto wooden frame, and also as a greetings card with envelope, size A5.

The Deal Lugger

Here's my latest stamp collage. A very kind freecycler gave me a shoe box full of old stamped envelopes from the 1960s. It had been in his loft for 40 years and he had offered them on our local freecycle site as Postmarks. I thought they might be interesting to use in some of my collages. Among the collection i found a commemmorative envelope featuring a boat know as the Deal Lugger. The Kent Philatelic Societies issued a special commemmorative envelope with postmark on 20th May 1967 showing the boat, and the envelope contained a card with its story. As well as fishing and dredging, the Deal Lugger provided an early ship to shore mail service, and was also apparently involved in some smuggling activities! I've recreated the image and have used some of the other postmarks to suggest the background of Deal, with its castle. You can read the entire story if you look carefully on the edges of the sails. Predominantly British stamps have been used but stamps of many other nations also feature. The birds are from Singapore!

Canadian Flag

Just repainted my studio wall in readiness for Site 11 Open Studios festival which is in June 2011. My studio will be open on the two week-ends 11th, 12th and 18th,
19th June and looking forward to welcoming new and returning visitors!
Hope the paint is dry, but coudn't resist just trying out one of my Stamp Collage canvas print flags to see how it looks on the white stone background. The Maple leaf features in the centre of the Canadian flag and all the stamps which go to make up the collage are Canadian, the earliest being some with Queen Victoria's head on, and quite a few featuring the maple leaf itself.

Union Jack/Union Flag - Penny Red

And here's my latest Union Flag. This time it has a Penny Red in the centre and also features the Two Pence Blue. Lots of interesting stamps to discover, a bit like a "stamp search" .. Can you find .. Sir Winston Churchill, The Post Office Tower, Concorde, the QE2, Mr Punch, a Victorian Postman, a London bus, the Mini, Robert Burns and the Queen? I don't actually know how many stamps I've used here, but it was fun to make!

Easter Bunny

Happy Easter to anyone who has managed to find their way to this latest post.

The Easter Bunny is a collage made mainly from postage stamps, marbled paper, and paper offcuts on a painted background.

Hope you like him or it could be her!

Available as a greetings card (A5) with envelope.

Danish Flag stamp collage

I'm adding to my series of national flags and have recently completed the Danish flag. I understand that one day this could become a real "collector's item"!. The reason I say this is that I have heard that in Denmark, it is no longer necessary to purchase a stamp in order to post a letter. It can all be done using your mobile phone, obtaining a code and writing it on the corner of your envelope! While this is probably a great idea for busy people who haven't got time to go to the Post office to buy a stamp, it does seem rather a shame and takes away the colour, character and variety from the postal system, and it's a definite disappointment to any stamp collector receiving mail with a code rather than an interesting stamp!

I've reproduced this Danish flag image as a Greetings card, left blank inside for your own message. The flag image is 12 x 10cms mounted on white card, 20 x 15 overall, and comes with C5 envelope. Price is £3.00 including p & p, within UK - for
2 or more cards up to 5, please add £1. For European orders, please add 50p per card, or obtain quotation for large quantities. The flag can also be reproduced as a lovely artist's quality canvas print, approximate size A3, although this may vary slightly.

I'll be adding details shortly of other National flag cards. Please subscribe to my blog if you'd like to see the latest creations, or get in touch by e mail.

I'll be exhibiting my flags and other stamp collages at the Stroud Open Studios festival in June - see Stroud Festival link www.rachelmarkwick.com for full details, contact details etc.

Love Heart Stamp Collage

I found a little bundle of stamps amongst my stock of materials and stamps waiting to be sorted out, added to my collection or made into collages. These are Love greetings stamps issued in the USA in 1982, with the word LOVE made out of flowers - so pretty! The original collage has been reproduced as a card, which was very popular for Valentine's day. Card is blank inside for your own personal greeting and is £3.00 including p&p. I've also had canvas prints made which look great! They're 23 x 30 cms x 3cms and are £45 including p&p within UK. A lovely way to send your love to someone special!

The second in the series of Normandy fishing vessels

This stamp collage is based on a painting by the French artist Eugene Grandin, whose work I discovered in the Musee des Terre-Neuveas et de la peche in Fecamp. Examples of his work are also in the tiny Chapel of Notre Dame de Saulut (our Lady of Salvation). The vessel depicted in my stamp collage is St Anthony of Padua trawler. I love the deep red sails of these fishing vessesls and an abundance of British definitive stamps provided me with plenty of material! I'm hoping to make more of these to add to the series.