About This Stamp
The U.S. Postal Service continues its popular Love series with two stamps, one featuring a kitten and the other a puppy.
The stamp art was painted with oils on wood panel, then scanned and edited digitally to create the final images.
Cats and dogs are two of America’s favorite pets, and it is no surprise that connecting with pets has benefits. They provide companionship and love; interacting with a cuddly kitten or a playful puppy can reduce loneliness and elevate mood. Some studies have even shown that pets might also be responsible for lower blood pressure, improved heart health, and a decrease in stress.
Whatever the benefits, there is no denying that puppies and kittens are lovable.
Evoking feelings of warmth and playfulness, each cute and cuddly animal rests its front paws on a big red heart. Sure to add a bit of whimsy to your valentines, these adorable stamps are also suitable for use on letters and cards throughout the year.
Art director Ethel Kessler designed these stamps with original art by Chris Buzelli.
The Love stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps in panes of 20. These Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.
Stamp Art Director
Ethel Kessler
Ethel Kessler is an award-winning designer and art director who has worked with corporations, museums, public and private institutions, professional service organizations, and now, the United States Postal Service.
After earning a B.F.A. in visual communications from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Kessler worked as a graphic designer and project manager for the exhibits division of the United States Information Agency. Her work was distributed internationally on subjects such as Immigration, Entrepreneurship, Renovation of American Cities, and the Bicentennial of 1976. She was also responsible for exhibits in Morocco, Botswana, and El Salvador.
In 1981, she established Kessler Design, Inc., for which she is creative director and designer. Clients have included the Clinton Government reorganization, the Smithsonian Institution, National Geographic Television, the National Park Service, and the American Institute of Architects.
She has been an art director for the U.S. Postal Service’s stamp development program for more than 25 years. As an art director for USPS, Kessler has been responsible for creating more than 500 stamp designs, including the Breast Cancer Research stamp illustrated by Whitney Sherman. Issued in 1998, the stamp is still on sale and has raised more $98 million for breast cancer research. Other Kessler projects include the popular and highly regarded Nature of America 120 stamp series, a collaboration with nationally acclaimed nature illustrator John Dawson, the 12-year Lunar New Year series with Kam Mak, the American Filmmaking: Behind the Scenes 10 stamps issued in 2003, a 2016 pane of stamps celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, and the 2023 stamp honoring Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And many, many others.
Stamp Artist
Chris Buzelli
Illustrator Chris Buzelli was born and grew up in South Chicago Heights. Grandfather Armondo Buzelli influenced the budding artist during childhood visits to the senior Buzelli’s television repair shop, where the two oil painted side-by-side.
Buzelli graduated from Rhode Island School of Design and began his illustration career in New York City. His conceptual illustrations are published in newspapers, magazines, books, and advertising campaigns. Among his numerous clients are The New York Times, Washington Post, Rolling Stone Magazine, Penguin Random House, Macmillan, ESPN, and The Tropenmuseum of Amsterdam. Buzelli also exhibits his original oil paintings in galleries worldwide.
Spotlighted in an article “The Artist Behind the Biggest Illustration The New York Times Has Ever Run,” Buzelli has also won the Cube Award from The Art Directors Club and multiple medals from the Society of illustrators.
Buzelli teaches at Rhode Island School of Design and the School of Visual Arts and gives lectures, workshops, and demos at universities and conferences throughout the world.
Working from his studio in the East Village, Buzelli lives in New York with his wife, SooJin, and studio partner Sota, who happens to be a very discerning and opinionated miniature pinscher.
The 2023 Love stamp issuance—two graphic illustrations, one featuring a cat and another a dog—is Buzelli's first project for the U.S. Postal Service.
