About This Stamp
The 2016 Love stamp features a heart created using the ancient art of quilling. Quilling — also called paper filigree — involves rolling and shaping narrow strips of paper, laying them on their edges, and gluing them in place to form intricate designs. The origin of the name “quilling” is obscure, but it might have come from the first tool used to create the paper curls, the base of a feather or quill.
Artist Yulia Brodskaya used heavy paper strips to create her design, choosing bright colors that would be appealing and eye-catching. The heart shape in the center of the stamp art is made from paper strips of many colors and is surrounded by white paper swirls. The background is white with shadows cast by the dimensional pieces of quilled paper.
Quilliing is believed to date from the 15th or 16th century. The first known quillers were monks and nuns in European religious houses. Inspired by metal filigree, quilling was an inexpensive way to create elaborate decorations normally beyond the means of most churches and religious orders. When gilded or silvered, the curled paper could resemble the work of the finest gold- and silversmiths, while designs made with cream-colored paper or vellum appeared to be carvings of ivory.
During the last 20 years, quilling has gained a new popularity. It is a technique that has changed very little with the passage of time and is accessible to anyone. Modern-day quillers only need a few tools to get started — paper, scissors, glue, and a quill-like implement for curling the strips.
Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp with original art by Yulia Brodskaya.
The Quilled Paper Heart stamp was issued as a Forever® stamp. This Forever stamp is always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.
Stamp Art Director, Designer, and Typographer
Antonio Alcalá
Antonio Alcalá served on the Postmaster General’s Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee from 2010 until 2011, when he left to become an art director for the U.S. Postal Service's stamp development program.
He is founder and co-owner of Studio A, a design practice working with museums and arts institutions. His clients include: the National Gallery of Art, Library of Congress, National Portrait Gallery, National Museum of Women in the Arts, The Phillips Collection, and Smithsonian Institution. He also lectures at colleges including the Corcoran College of Art + Design, SVA, Pratt, and MICA.
In 2008, his work and contributions to the field of graphic design were recognized with his selection as an AIGA Fellow. He has judged international competitions for the Society of Illustrators, American Illustration, AIGA, and Graphis. Alcalá also serves on the Smithsonian National Postal Museum and Poster House Museum’s advisory councils. His designs are represented in the AIGA Design Archives, the National Postal Museum, and the Library of Congress Permanent Collection of Graphic Design.
Alcalá graduated from Yale University with a BA in history and from the Yale School of Art with an MFA in graphic design. He lives with his wife in Alexandria, Virginia.
Stamp Artist
Yulia Brodskaya
Yulia Brodskaya’s artistic path began at age five when her parents enrolled her in an evening art school. From that point forward, she knew she would pursue art in one form or another. She studied design in Moscow before moving to England and earning an M.A. in Graphic Communication at the University of Hertfordshire in 2006.
Although her education prepared her for a career in graphic design, Brodskaya quickly realized she preferred working with paper rather than computers. “Paper always held a special fascination for me,” she says. Her unique, modern style of paper art has helped her achieve success, working with clients such as The New York Times Magazine, Wimbledon, Starbucks, Target, Neiman Marcus, and The Guardian. Using only paper and glue, Brodskaya meticulously creates elegant and vibrant three-dimensional illustrations.
While waiting for the glue to dry and in other spare moments, Brodskaya enjoys watching cooking shows and expressing her creativity through food. She lives and works in the U.K.
Quilled Paper Heart (2016) is Brodskaya’s first project for the U.S. Postal Service®.