About This Stamp
From the ancient sequoias to the majestic oaks, trees evoke a sense of beauty and wonder, making them a favorite subject for many artists and writers. The Tree Stamped Card captures what we love about these magnificent living things in a stylized rendering of a tree born from the artist’s imagination.
This stamped card depicts a fanciful tree, illustrated in greens and browns, sitting among tall grass. Using a method similar to woodblock printing, artist Cathie Bleck drew inspiration for the art from drawings made in her garden.
Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamped card.
The Tree Stamped Card is being issued as a Forever® stamped card. Its postage will always be equal to the value of the stamped postcard rate in effect at the time of use, even if the rate increases after purchase.
Stamp Art Director, Stamp Designer
Ethel Kessler
Ethel Kessler is an award-winning designer and art director who has worked with corporations, museums, public and private institutions, professional service organizations, and now, the United States Postal Service.
After earning a B.F.A. in visual communications from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Kessler worked as a graphic designer and project manager for the exhibits division of the United States Information Agency. Her work was distributed internationally on subjects such as Immigration, Entrepreneurship, Renovation of American Cities, and the Bicentennial of 1976. She was also responsible for exhibits in Morocco, Botswana, and El Salvador.
In 1981, she established Kessler Design, Inc., for which she is creative director and designer. Clients have included the Clinton Government reorganization, the Smithsonian Institution, National Geographic Television, the National Park Service, and the American Institute of Architects.
She has been an art director for the U.S. Postal Service’s stamp development program for more than 25 years. As an art director for USPS, Kessler has been responsible for creating more than 500 stamp designs, including the Breast Cancer Research stamp illustrated by Whitney Sherman. Issued in 1998, the stamp is still on sale and has raised more $98 million for breast cancer research. Other Kessler projects include the popular and highly regarded Nature of America 120 stamp series, a collaboration with nationally acclaimed nature illustrator John Dawson, the 12-year Lunar New Year series with Kam Mak, the American Filmmaking: Behind the Scenes 10 stamps issued in 2003, a 2016 pane of stamps celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, and the 2023 stamp honoring Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And many, many others.