Houston artist puts her stamp on postage design
The United States Postal Service has been in the news way more often than usual recently. For artist and Houston native Dana Tanamachi, the release of her new stamp on Friday is fortuitous timing.
“I didn’t think it would ever see the light of day,” she said. “The fact that it’s releasing this week, in this climate, is incredible.”
Since his appointment in May, U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has made major budget cutbacks and operational changes to the postal service and intends to implement more in the coming months. After critics said this could affect mail-in voting in the upcoming presidential election, DeJoy announced he will delay his remaining plans until after November.
Still, public outcry about USPS cuts rages on. Many have called on people to buy stamps and other mail swag to “save the post office.”
Tanamachi’s stamp officially released Aug. 21, but she actually created it in 2015. Her typographic artwork displays the words “thank you” in gold lettering, which sprout into floral accents. Tanamachi said she wanted the design to be timeless but modern. She was inspired by classic book covers and bookplates from the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts movements, as well as by typeface designer Doyald Young and textile artist William Morris, who was known for his florals. The stamp comes in four different colors.
It took several sketches and revisions for Tanamachi’s stamp to materialize. The design was meant to be in gold foil, but printing technology was not up to speed back then; she believes
this is partly why it took more than five years for the stamp to see the light of day. The USPS now has the capability to print non-tarnishing metallic foils.
Stamps are not Tanamachi’s usual beat. She typically works on large-scale murals — quite different from the tiny rectangles that stick in the corner of envelopes.
“It was a fun challenge to condense a message onto such a
small canvas,” she said.
Tanamachi is now based in New York City, but she’s a Houstonian first and foremost. She grew up in Kingwood, where her family still lives, and graduated from Kingwood High School in 2003. She has fond memories of attending the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and Theatre Under the Stars performances. Her very first job was as a hostess at the nowclosed
Ninfa’s in Kingwood.
When she’s home for the holidays, her favorite spots to revisit are the Rothko Chapel, the Menil Collection, the Asia Society and Pappasito’s.
Tanamachi graduated from the University of North Texas in 2007 with a degree in communication design. Her career as an artist has blossomed since; high-profile companies have commissioned
her work, from Target and Starbucks to Oprah and Time magazines.
And now, after a yearslong wait, there’s this stamp.
“I’m very proud to have created something that people can purchase to practically support the USPS,” said Tanamachi.