Sunday | November 1, 2026 | 2:00-5:00 pm | all levels | $60 | collage | Falls Church Arts Gallery

Every postage stamp is a tiny time capsule — a miniature portrait of the country, era, and ideals that made it. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll give vintage postage stamps a second life while making a vibrant collage of an octopus.

You’ll be provided with a wide range of stamps from around the world, and guidance in how to choose, compose, and adhere them using a pre-cut octopus template. You will learn simple collage techniques for balancing color, pattern, and visual rhythm, so your finished piece feels intentional and represents your artistic vision.

No art experience is needed. At the end of class, you’ll walk away with a piece of stamp art that provides windows into many fascinating countries and cultures. You will have a new appreciation for the well-traveled little rectangles that once carried love letters, postcards, and packages across the globe.

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Darren Smith

Darren Smith is a Washington, DC-area visual artist and editorial creative director with over two decades of experience in visual storytelling, including nearly two decades at National Geographic, where he supervised the iconic magazine’s 41 international editions. As a collage artist, he began by cutting and reassembling his own photographs. After inheriting his father’s stamp collection, he thought they would be better used in art than stuck in dusty albums. His work has been exhibited at galleries and art fairs in Paris, New York, and the Northeast. Darren brings a lifelong eye for design, pattern, and narrative to this workshop, helping students see the artistic potential hiding in even the smallest, most overlooked pieces of paper.