F5115

Earthscapes

Highway Interchange

Collins Cover Announcement 

Earthscapes Wildlife

As my long-term collectors are aware, I have a lifelong love of wildlife and nature, so whenever an opportunity like this comes along:, I am grateful. The unusual format of these aerial and satellite photography stamps gave me the chance to create one of the most beautiful wildlife series that I have ever produced. As the enclosed color illustrations will convey, the individually hand painted cachets portraying spectacular wild creatures in their natural earthscape environments are extraordinary. In fact, Collins watercolored envelopes are prime examples of philatelic art at its finest. As proof, look again at the enclosed copies and note the rich, bold colors and how they blend with the softer, lovely pastels.

A wide variety of earthscape subjects make these stamps an unusual and interesting series. A geothermal spring such as those found in the Yellowstone Valley produces vibrant water colored by minerals that is actually spectacular to behold. To this background I've added a majestic bull bison standing in a field of petite wildflowers. Awesome!

The set continues with each cachet being a gem in the naturescapes of the planet we call Earth A rugged mother polar bear thrives with her two cubs in the Arctic landscape of icebergs and glaciers. Note the vivid blues contrasting with the pristine white of the stark ice and polar fur. Beautiful!

A solitary coyote lifts his head and wails a lonely howl that complements the barrenness of the volcanic crater Awk that was once the thriving wilderness called Mount Saint Helens.

The elusive and powerful mountain lion is a symbol of freedom in our great American outdoors. Our earthscape cougar stands high on a rocky point surveying his vast domain. A towering butte rises into a blazing western sky, and those bright colors are captured in the muted, reflected light on the river far below. Look again at the enclosed illustration and spend some time with what First Day Cover pioneer Earl Planty called "cachet appreciation."

One of the stamps features a railroad roundhouse as seen from above. It gave me a chance to create a cachet that I call "the Golden Moment." A yellow diesel engine pulls its train through an autumn wonderland. An adorable badger strikes a winsome pose in his amber grassland habitat. A familiar yellow railroad sign has become a permanent part of the badger's area. and it serves as a link between the wildness of nature and the needs of civilization. A cachet scene is created that will become a sought-after collectible by wildlife and railroad topicalists alike. A golden moment.

Cranberries are grown and harvested in my part of New Jersey. They are grown in wet bogs and at harvest time are raked into the water and then floated to a collection point. The rich, red stamp captures the scene perfectly from above. Also in New Jersey, black bears are present in all twenty-one counties. When I started this set, I knew instantly that my choice for this cachet would be a massive black bear prowling a shoreline with a red sea of harvested cranberries floating behind him. Talk about contrasting colors in art. This cover is a perfect example of that visual technique. The toughest part of this cachet design was to create just the right pose for the bear so as to interact with the cranberries behind him. Mission accomplished.

Just as the stamps link humans and nature, my watercolored cachets do the same. These Collins covers link the various earthscapes with the wildlife we value so much. Please do not miss out on this set. All orders will be accepted on a first come/first sered basis. One cover will be sent each month, which provides the necessary time for hand painting and makes this incredible set affordable for every hobby budget. My Earthscapes Wildlife set of fifteen covers at one per month is now ready. The "Cranberry Harvest and Black Bear" will be the first one shipped. Collins numbers are F5101 to F5115 —$14 each.