Hawaii Graphic Artist Brings Cultural Awareness to New Olympic Stamp
华裔艺术家设计美国京奥纪念邮票
The United States Postal Service has issued a new stamp to commemorate the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. It was designed by a graphic artist from Hawaii. Clarence Lee may not be a household name, but his stamps are recognized around the world.
美国邮政总局近日发行庆祝2008年北京奥运的新邮票。这套邮票是由一位夏威夷的绘图艺术家设计的。这位艺术家虽然不能算是家喻户晓，可是他设计的邮票却享誉全球。
It's just before noon, and business is bustling 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.
正午时分，檀香山一家邮局里业务非常繁忙。顾客余珍购买了一整版的奥运纪念邮票：“我觉得这邮票真的很棒，我很喜欢。它的颜色很漂亮，展示了动态的体操运动员。我觉得这邮票真的很好看。”余女士也惊喜地发现，这张邮票是夏威夷著名艺术设计师克拉伦斯.李的作品。它以鲜红的色彩描绘出一名跳跃中的体操选手。
The stamp depicts 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 athletic in motion." Illustrator Katie Doka provided the artwork on the stamp.
克拉伦斯.李说，选择红色是为了弘扬奥运精神：“这个画面充满了活力，打动人心，富有动感。同时，我还有一位插图画家帮助我处理邮票上的图案，她是来自俄勒冈州的凯蒂.多卡。我利用她的才华，完成了跳跃的女体操选手的图像。”
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.
克拉伦斯.李可不是头一次设计邮票。美国邮政总局在1992年就请他设计了一套以华裔美国人为主题的新年邮票。那时鸡年就要到了，李知道他该怎么做。他说，他的鸡年邮票不仅在美国很受欢迎，在中国也深受喜爱：“据我所知，那套邮票一共卖出了500万美元，美国邮政总局很吃惊。
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."
由于这是第一套印有中国文字，并且以中国剪纸艺术为题材的美国邮票，他们推广得很成功。这套邮票色彩明亮，因为它带有中国主题，所以销售一空。我想， 美国邮政总局当初也并不知道，中国有两千万集邮爱好者。”
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."
因为鸡年邮票销售得那么好，美国邮政总局委托李再为他们设计一套12属性的邮票。他说：“我喜欢猪年邮票， 因为它在空中飞翔，看来快乐生动。”
Supportive family nurtured 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.
这些年来，克拉伦斯.李在美国和中国的主要城市，向集邮爱好者讲话。他常告诉大家，邮票设计让他有机会表达对父母的敬重。他的母亲是夏威夷的华裔美国人。父亲来自中国。
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."
他说：“ 我的父亲来自中国，他经常感到惊恐，也许是因为他离开中国，再也没有见到他双亲的缘故。他从中国直接来到夏威夷，然后就在一家屠宰店工作。他养育我们，使我们的生活改善。”
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 nurturing his talent. "I remember my father getting butcher paper, that was a pink, waxy 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."
李年幼的时候，就已经对艺术产生了兴趣。他将自己的艺术成就，归功于双亲的培养：“我记得父亲带回来一些屠宰店用的纸，他把那些粉红色又好像涂了腊的纸给我，我就坐在地板上开始画。画图一向是我的爱好。”
Today, Lee is internationally recognized for his designs, which often incorporate a sense of cultural awareness. He has created eye-catching logos for major companies in Hawaii and around the world, as well as posters and brochures for special events.
今天，李已经因为他的邮票设计而扬名国际。他的设计经常包含着文化的元素。他也为夏威夷和世界各地的大公司，创造过引人注目的商标图案，以及特殊活动的文宣海报。
In 1994, Lee designed America's first joint-issue stamp with China. The two-stamp set featured a black-necked crane and a whooping crane.
1994年，他设计了第一套美国和中国联合发行的邮票。这一套两张的邮票的特色是一只黑颈鹤和另一只呼叫中的鹤。
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."
记者问他，如果他现在又要设计一套邮票的话，他会选用什么主题？他毫不犹豫地回答：“我会选择世界和平，这不会是在今天和我们这一时代中出现的事。”
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."
“我还记得我为纪念广岛轰炸四十周年所设计的一系列海报。我很喜欢那个设计。它是为了世界和平，是我们需要共同分享的。”
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.
克拉伦斯今年已经七十开外，他继续从事艺术设计和创作。使他感到惊奇的是，让他名扬四海的作品，竟然是他最小的设计--邮票。
