Well damn Finland! You started your 2022 stamps with a cat … a cat in a wheelbarrow! It should be mandated that every postal program begins the year with this kind of cheer.

Of course, if you’re going to go with a tabby cat, having Minna Lehväslaiho create your purfect (forgive me, I haven’t had enough espresso) stamp is the way to go. Lehväslaiho has built a career on illustrating lovely vignettes like the one above. If you aren’t familiar with her work, slide over to her Instagram page for a smile @minnalehvaslaiho) • Instagram photos and videos.

Now comes the hard part – was there a favourite stamp from 2021? Short answer is no. So many of the stamps from last year caught my eye that it’s impossible to say “this is the best”. Ranging from the linear typography of January’s Finnish Journalists’ Association 100 Years to the wonderfully illustrated Taking Care Of … and September’s crisp, clean Glass Blowing pair, Suomi Post served up a rich slice of Finnish artistry and life last year. So, I think Finland will have to go without having a favourite crowned. At least by me. You are welcome to wander over to the 2021 page and tell us which stamp should be the winner. 

In the meantime, scroll on down and enjoy  tabby cats, chocolate & cheer.
Catpaw

January

Have a Nice Spring

2 stamps, booklet of 10, FDC, cancel

Designer: Minna Lehväslaiho
This is Minna Lehväslaiho’s first stamp. Better known for her postcards (Postcards by Minna Lehväslaiho)  Lehväslaiho is a fascinating self taught artist with a background in the sciences, holding both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree from the University of Helsinki. I hope we see more of her work pop up on stamps.

Release date: January 19, 2022

Friend stuff – Valentine’s Day

5 stamps, booklet of 10, FDC, cancel

“Stamps are one of the smallest things I have ever illustrated. The small size brought its own challenges to the design, which was fun. The label must be interesting and at the same time simple to be clear that it works in a small size,” Leena Kisonen

This series was created during the first lockdown, while Kisonen was living in London, England. She used a combination of techniques that start with cutting out shapes and forms, scanning the designs in and then completing the design on a computer using vector graphics.

Designer: Leena Kisonen Leena Kisonen – About
Kisonen works in a variety of mediums, from textiles to digital. According to her bio, she loves to work with “a blend of delicious candy colors, playful shapes and big smiles.” She periodically gives public talks ranging from her design aesthetics to basics to covering the basics of illustration.. 

Release date: January 19, 2022

Fazer Blue 100 Years

1 stamp, booklet of 10, FDC, cancel

Fazer chocolate started production in 1922 and the recipe has remained unchanged over the past 100 years. It is generally seen as part of the modern Finnish cultural heritage. It’s one of the most popular chocolate brands in Finland. 

Designer: Paula Salviander 
Previous designs included the 2021 Flowers and Glass Blowing. Salviander also designed 2020 Wildflowers and Christmas, 2019 Winter Wonders and Frosty Day, 2016 Red House.  The 2020 Wildflowers won 3rd place in Finland’s “Most Beautiful Stamp of 2020” competition.

Release date: January 19, 2022

April

EUROPA 2022 – Stories and Myths

2 stamps, sheets of 10, FDC, cancel

Päivätär and Kuutar – The Daymaker and The Moon
Finnish goddesses of sun/light and moon/dark. They are portrayed as sisters who create the web of life and often depicted as weavers. 

“I drew The Daymaker and The Moon as young maidens who are timeless unnatural unnaturals of heavenly bodies outside of everyday conceptions and laws. They are metaphors for the beauty of nature and the power of the sun and moon. I wanted to have that same mystical power in the characters’ illustrations.” Europa Tarut ja myytit (posti.fi)

Designer: Emmi-Riikka Vartiainen  Emmi-Riikka Vartiainen • Art & Illustration (emmiriikka.com)
Vartianinen is a graduate of the Lahti Institute of Design. She describes her style, in a 2017 interview as a combination of traditional and digital: 

I switch between traditional and digital techniques. I sketch by hand, then ink and colour either with light table or digitally. I vectorize the final work if necessary. Lately I’ve enjoyed working with paints and markers rather than going digitally from start to finish. I like when the work has an organic and handmade look, slight imperfection has a charm to it. Emmi-Riikka Vartiainen – Napa Agency (napa-agency.fi)

Release date: April 27, 2022

Baseball 100 years

3 stamps, souvenir sheet

3rd most popular ball game in the country.

Designer: Juuso Kemi

Release date: April 27, 2022

Finnish art classics II

8 stamps on a 100 stamp roll

• Tyko Sallinen’s Laundry
• Helene Schjerfbeck’s Prom Shoes
• Pekka Halonen’s Neit in the Noses of the Capes
• Ellen Thesleff’s Reading Moment
• Akseli Gallen-Kallela’s Boy and Crow
• Elin Danielson’s Girl and Cats in the Summer Landscape
• Albert Edelfelt’s two works in the Luxembourg Park in Paris, and Ruokolahti’s old ladies in Kirkkomäki

Designer: Ilkka Kärkkäinen

Release date: April 27, 2022

Well Wishes

5 stamps on sheet of 10, souvenir sheet

Winning design from the 2021 stamp design competition. 5 winners were picked from 570 entries. 

• Cake coffees – Tuomas Ikonen from Lem
• Bouquet – Anna Kesäniemi from Helsinki
• For You – Jenni Tuominen & Jukka Pylvän  from Porvoo
• The Flower Broadcast – Noora Kato from Tampere
• Add only water – Nelli Ahosola from Lappeenranta 

Designer: Paula Salviander

Release date: April 27, 2022

September

Moomin ABC 

6 stamps, sheet of 6

Designer: James Zambra

Release date: September 7, 2022

Posti Art Prize 2022

2 stamps, sheet of 10

The 2022 prize was awarded, in April, to sculptor Kim Simonsson. His two sculptures, Jar ball girl and reading moss girl are featured. 

Handcrafted from Kim Simonsson’s ceramics, the figures are influenced by popular culture and more traditional art history. Simonsson is especially known around the world for his sculptures depicting fairy-tale characters with a living and moss-like green surface. “The surface structure of the figures is created with nylon fiber, which I transfer to the sculpture using a special electrostatic technique,” Simonsson says. Postin taidepalkinto 2022

Sculpter: Kim Simonsson

Release date: September 7, 2022

Jubilees on Stage

10 stamps, sheet of 10

Finnish National Theatre 150th Anniversary & Finnish National Ballet 100th

 “I was originally interested in graphic design and poster art, partly through theatrical posters. It was especially great to be able to design the labels to be published in honor of prestigious cultural institutions. The importance of performing arts and free artistic expression is emphasised, especially in these unstable times”. Klaus Welp

Designer: Klaus Welp

Release date: September 7, 2022

November

Let Christmas Come

1 stamp, sheet of 10

Designer: Nina Kuu

Release date: November 9, 2022

Winter Wonderland 

1 stamp, sheet of 10

Designer: Nina Kuu

Release date: November 9, 2022

Fireworks

1 stamp, sheet of 10

Designer: Nina Kuu

Release date: November 9, 2022

Winter Lights

2 stamps, sheet of 10

Designer: Jukka Risikko

Release date: November 9, 2022 

See the 2021 stamp season – Fantastic Finland’s 2021 stamps | Bitter Grounds Magazine

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