Description:

With four mixed-media illustrations of seasonal flora and fauna, the Holiday Cheer stamps usher in the simple pleasures of the season.

The first stamp features three scarlet amaryllis flowers, their bright green stalks tied together with a red ribbon. The second stamp shows a holiday wreath with a mix of light and dark green leaves interspersed with holly berries and a large red bow at the top. The third stamp pictures a plump yellow Bartlett pear, a red pomegranate, and a reddish-orange clementine nestled against a branch of an evergreen tree. The fourth stamp shows two crimson cardinals with black facial markings and dark shading on their wings, each perched on a mistletoe branch.

The artist created the collages using gouache and acrylic paint on background paper from a vintage gardening book. She then cut out the shapes for each image and pasted them onto an archival cotton board.

The crimson northern cardinal has long been associated with the winter holiday season. These much-loved songbirds grace many holiday cards and provide glorious splashes of color against snow-covered evergreen boughs in backyards across the country.

Decorating for the holidays with fruit, flowers, and greenery has been popular for hundreds of years. Pears, berries, and other seasonal fruits provide beautiful color to wreaths and floral arrangements throughout the winter season and are an important food source for birds and other wildlife.