| THE EPISTOLARIAN |

When the Montgolfier brothers envisioned a world of balloon travel, they had to let go of tethers and ballast which literally held the balloons down. But they also had to let go of notions of what was possible in order to take the skies.

The hot air balloon has always been one of my favorite symbols because it reminds us that transcendence and surrender are often the same thing.

When I quit my day job last August, I released a very special edition of a hot air balloon seal modeled after the Montgolfier balloons. This specific design, never to be remade again, included eleven hot air balloon seals with hand-painted balloon handles by me, along with a letter describing one of my dreams.

The letter invited the collector to step into the dream with me and to carry the energy of that dream for themselves.

To leave my day job was a form of surrender in order to transcend. It meant cutting the tether of a fixed paycheck and releasing the ballast of a schedule set by someone else. Yet there was no way to reach the next height as an artist without doing so.

The Montgolfier balloon, now a favorite in my collection, no longer includes the original inscription, Nouvelle Aube (New Dawn)

We all experience new dawns: new homes, new jobs, surprising health diagnoses, the birth of children, each chapter opens with a new horizon to scale and a new perspective to gain. In order to meet the new dawn each time, requires a faith and surrender. The hot air balloon invites us into this energy.

When I led an artist retreat in the Loire Valley las month, unsurprisingly, our balloon flight required surrender before it could rise. The weather was terrible. Thunderstorms rolled across the countryside. Lightning flashed in the distance. The balloon company brought us to a small picnic shelter where we sat beneath a tent, waiting to learn whether the flight would even be possible. There was nothing to do but wait, nothing to do but surrender.

Then, the storm passed and the skies cleared. We were brought to the launch field, and within fifteen minutes, the balloon took flight.

The earth fell away beneath us. The Loire Valley stretched in every direction as the sun began to set. We followed above the Loire river until we reached Chenonceau, and then drifted over the great hunting forests of the chateau before landing by a vineyard, from which grapes of a wine we had tasted earlier grew.

It struck me that the journey had become the very metaphor I had long associated with the hot air balloon. We had surrendered to rise.

The storm passed in its own time. The wind carried us where it wished. We could not force the balloon into the air any more than we can force the next chapter of our lives to arrive before it is ready.

We let go of our tethers and ballast.

We rose.

The Montgolfier Balloon

The Montgolfier Balloon has now joined the permanent collection without the original Nouvelle Aube inscription.

However, I have created one special Montgolfier bearing the original inscription, paired with an exceptionally detailed hand-painted handle. It is the only balloon in this release to carry those words.

For me, Nouvelle Aube belongs to rare moments of transformation. As such, it will appear only on select Montgolfier editions distinguished by highly ornamental painted handles.

Meet me in New Orleans?

In two weeks, I will be at Scriptura in New Orleans.

To mark the occasion, I will release two seals available exclusively through Scriptura, either in the shop or through their online store.

If you would like to meet me in person, I will be at Scriptura on Friday, June 19, 2026, from Noon to 2:00 PM.

5423 Magazine Street
New Orleans, Louisiana

This release marks a historic milestone for Kathryn Hastings & Co. as well as Scriptura: the very first Hastings Collection to be carried by an American retailer. It's a shop I have loved for years and feel so delighted to unveil these fine-art seals.

In the coming days, I will share more about these special seals and the beginning of what I hope will become a treasure hunt of Hastings pieces across the United States (& abroad). These will be very much about reclaiming a sense of place in a highly digital world, and connecting the love of written correspondence to a larger discovery.

Mark your Calendar

This Friday, June 12th at 12pm Pacific (3pm Eastern), I will go live on Instagram to unveil the newest penny. It will come up a week from today.

Collectors who have the Hastings Étui will get priority access to purchase the newest penny. 

Pixie Tangerines

The first 11 Collectors Edition of the Pixie Tangerine sold out instantly. I have three remaining that can be sent to you this week.

An Early Work

Featured in my upcoming book is the very first seal I created. There is only one remaining, and it has a special story which I'll share in the book. This one won't be remade.

With love,

Kathryn