Åland Post issues a new series of self-adhesive franking labels on 4 January 2023. The theme is garden berries, and Finnish artist Mari Oksanen illustrates her first postal labels showing delicate berries that are grown in Åland gardens.
The four berry varieties shown on the franking labels are black currants (Ribes nigrum), raspberries (Rubus idaeus), gooseberries (Ribes uva-crispa) and strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa).
The issue marks Mari’s debut as a stamp artist, and she immediately fell for the illustration assignment:
“Creating something for the small space was a challenge; to make the motifs appear rich in detail yet simple enough to strike the viewer’s eye. I really enjoy working with flora and fauna related objects and design organic forms, so the garden berries were well within my comfort zone. The idea of giving the berries different moods and personalities came to me almost immediately, and I appreciated being encouraged to create playful and colourful labels rather than realistic images. The black currants look a bit mischievous and secretive, the raspberries are wild rascals, while the gooseberries are the gentle sweethearts among thorns. The strawberry is the juicy one, basking in sunlight,” Mari explains.
Facts about the issue
Name of issue: Garden berries
Date of issue: 4 January 2023
Artist: Mari Oksanen
Design: Mari Oksanen & Johanna Finne
Denomination of series: 4 × €2.10
Price FDC: €9.40
Size: 56 × 25 mm
Paper: 40 gms thermal paper
Process: 4-colour offset
Printer: Cartor Security Printers
Order franking labels and first day cover in the webshop.