Oscar Holden - Seattle Jazz Legend - PFF#50

In March of this year while I was frantically preparing for the Western Heritage Artists show, I had to obtain the American Jazz stamps and get them canceled. I knew what I wanted to do for the art work, and it was pretty much settled by the time I had arrived back home. However - other art projects got in the way.

Three weeks ago I started putting it together. Since every one of my covers is hand-drawn and "painted", I had to do a template I could slip into the twenty-three blank envelopes that already had stamps and cancels. I use that template on my light table, using a pencil to produce the design on the envelope. I then move to my drawing board and using colored pencils and a Rapidiograph pen, I produce the cover.

I began that exercise with a design for a cover I'd done some years ago, and it is the same basic as the one I posted in February of 2009. That cover was an Event cover which I'd franked with a pair of Duke Ellington stamps. I did not use gold leaf on these covers, as I wanted to stick with the color scheme of the Jazz Forever stamps. The black piano keys were a what I wanted to highlight on this one.

Although I knew nothing of Oscar Holden until late January of this year, after reading the fabulous book Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford, I was pretty much looking for anything I could find about him. It didn't take me long to find out he played the piano. I included his name and the title of Jazz Legend, although he is known as the Patriarch of the Seattle Jazz scene.

Make certain that you stop by The Best Hearts Are Crunchy for Postcard Friendly Friday, hosted by Beth Niquette for more colorful Mail Art from around the world.