The Maya Angelou stamp will feature a portrait of the beloved poet and be dedicated April 7 in Washington, DC, the Postal Service has announced.
The image, which was released to the news media March 4, is based on a hyper-realistic painting by Ross Rossin, an Atlanta-based artist. The 4 foot by 4 foot oil-on-canvas portrait hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington.
Rossin painted Angelou after meeting her in 2013.
“I wanted to capture her laughter, her cry and the forgiveness and blessings that came from her face,” Rossin said. “It is not only her portrait that is bigger than life. It is she herself who is bigger than life.”
The stamp also will bear a quote: “A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”
The Postal Service announced plans Feb. 23 to issue a stamp honoring Angelou, who died in 2014.