KELOWNA — Canada Post has released the 2015 addition to its flower stamp series. It’s the pansy, painted by Kelowna artist Laurie Koss. As her work goes into wide spread circulation, Koss is both beaming with pride and humbled by the honour she initially thought sounded too good to be true.
Koss says the release of the stamp has been months in the making and it all started with an e mail from Canada Post that could have easily ended up in her trash bin.
“I thought it was a bit of a hoax, that it couldn’t be possible what it was, so I ignored it for a few days then went back and thought holy smokes I think this is real,” says Koss.
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Now, the reality is that the life-long artist will soon have a global audience with millions of copies of her work in circulation.
“It feels amazing, an incredible honour and I’m just really grateful and humbled by it,” she says.
Koss’s work is displayed at Hambleton Gallery in Kelowna, which hosted the release party; her work can also be found in a gallery in Vancouver. Now she can only wonder where this opportunity will take her next.
“I have no idea if it will open doors as an artist but I know it certainly can’t hurt.”
While Koss never imagined that her work would one day jump from the canvas to government-issued stamps, she is excited about the future and hopes opportunities like this inspire young artists to keep working at their craft.
“Believe in your dream, if you want to be successful in art, don’t give up and just trust the process.”
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