VOA标准英语2008年-Hawaii Graphic Artist Brings Cultural Awareness

The United States Postal¹ Service has issued a new stamp to commemorate² the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. It was designed by a graphic³ artist from Hawaii. As Heidi Chang reports, Clarence Lee may not be a household name, but his stamps are recognized around the world.

It's just before noon, and business is bustling⁴ at this Honolulu post office. Jane Yee is buying a sheet of Olympic Games stamps. "The colors are beautiful and it shows the gymnasts in action," she says, explaining why she likes the stamp. She's also pleased to discover that Clarence Lee, one of Hawaii's best-known graphic designers, created it.

The stamp depicts⁵ a leaping gymnast, in bright red. Lee says it honors the spirit of the Games. "It was just so energetic and appealing, and it's very athletic⁶ in motion." Illustrator Katie Doka provided the artwork on the stamp.

This isn't the first time Lee has created a stamp. In 1992, the U.S. Postal Service asked him to design a New Year stamp to honor Chinese Americans. Looking ahead to the Year of the Rooster, Lee knew what he wanted to do. His rooster stamp was very popular, bringing in more than $5-million in sales, not just in the U.S., but also in China.

Lee says there are some 20 million stamp collectors in China. "This was the first [U.S.] stamp with a Chinese character on it, Chinese artwork, paper cut artwork. It was very colorful. And so they were buying up all these stamps because it had a Chinese theme."

Because the rooster stamp sold so well, the Postal Service commissioned Lee to design a Lunar New Year series of 12 stamps. Lee, who was born in the Year of the Dog, has his own favorite – the Boar. "It's just flying through the air and it seems happy and it seems very active."

Supportive family nurtured⁷ Lee's passion for art

Over the years, Clarence Lee has spoken to stamp collectors in major U.S. cities and in China. He often shares how the stamps have given him a chance to honor his parents.

Lee's mother was a Chinese-American from Hawaii and his father emigrated from China. "I'm sure everybody else has a story like that," he says, "ancestors that had braved coming across the ocean and making a life that's better for their children and their children's children."

Lee's father worked in a butcher shop, and was able to send his son to a private school and to Yale University, where he studied design.

Lee discovered his passion for art when he was still a child, and credits his parents with nurturing⁸ his talent. "I remember my father getting butcher paper, that was a pink, waxy⁹ butcher paper, and he would bring it home for me, sheets and sheets of it. And I would just sit on the floor and just start drawing."

Today, Lee is internationally recognized for his designs, which often incorporate a sense of cultural awareness¹⁰. He has created eye-catching logos for major companies in Hawaii and around the world, as well as posters and brochures for special events.

In 1994, Lee designed America's first joint-issue stamp with China. The two-stamp set featured a black-necked crane and a whooping¹¹ crane.

Designing world peace on a postage stamp

When asked what stamp he'd design today if he could pick any theme, Lee didn't hesitate. "I would think it would be world peace, which is not something that's happening this day and age."

He recalls doing a series of posters for the 40th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. "I enjoyed doing that project. But it was based on world peace and something we need all to share."

Now in his 70s, Clarence Lee continues to design and create art. He is still amazed that his smallest projects – postage stamps – have become his biggest claim to fame.

 

 

 

1 postal   

adj.邮政的，邮局的

参考例句：

• A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。

2 commemorate   

vt.纪念，庆祝

参考例句：

• This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
• We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。

3 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

4 bustling   

adj.喧闹的

参考例句：

• The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
• This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。

5 depicts   

描绘，描画( depict的第三人称单数 )； 描述

参考例句：

• The book vividly depicts French society of the 1930s. 这本书生动地描绘了20 世纪30 年代的法国社会。
• He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively. 他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。

6 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

7 nurtured   

养育( nurture的过去式和过去分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长

参考例句：

• She is looking fondly at the plants he had nurtured. 她深情地看着他培育的植物。
• Any latter-day Einstein would still be spotted and nurtured. 任何一个未来的爱因斯坦都会被发现并受到培养。

8 nurturing   

养育( nurture的现在分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长

参考例句：

• These delicate plants need careful nurturing. 这些幼嫩的植物需要精心培育。
• The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants. 这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。

9 waxy   

adj.苍白的；光滑的

参考例句：

• Choose small waxy potatoes for the salad.选些个头小、表皮光滑的土豆做色拉。
• The waxy oil keeps ears from getting too dry.这些蜡状耳油可以保持耳朵不会太干燥。

10 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

11 whooping   

发嗬嗬声的，发咳声的

参考例句：

• Whooping cough is very prevalent just now. 百日咳正在广泛流行。
• Have you had your child vaccinated against whooping cough? 你给你的孩子打过百日咳疫苗了吗？