November 27, 2018

Meet Sheila Wahlberg, Brian & family Wahlberg

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sheila Wahlberg, Brian & family Wahlberg.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I fell in love with words and their history and typography and libraries and bookstores and bad puns and all things written at an early age, and my love affair has never faltered. From a crazy intense love of reading to teaching language and writing to proofreading and editing, to hand-lettering and doodling and sign-making, I’ve never strayed from that core. Add to that our combined love of projects big and small and a love for working with our hands with paint and wood instilled by our dads, and our two passions collided and Wahl to Wall Word Love was born as a small family business.

We also learned early on though, for good and for bad, that those words I fell in love with have power. They can speak hate and fear and disrespect, thus tearing down, or they can speak life and love and honor, and thus building up. Our mission and our goal, always, is to use our words — whether on our signs or in our communications — to lift and love and give hope. Because words are potent. May all of ours speak life and light and love into the world!

Please tell us about your art.
Our passion is creating 100% handcrafted wood signs — 100% woodcut, painted, mitered corners, waxed finishes … made to last, with love! Since each piece of the sign and frame are hand cut and crafted from quality wood, paint and/or stain, no two signs are ever the same, and no attempt is made to hide, fill or cover all imperfections or knots. In fact, imperfections add to the vintage, chippy one-of-a-kind character and are celebrated in all their glory!

What do you think about conditions for artists today? Has life become easier or harder for artists in recent years? What can cities like ours do to encourage and help art and artists thrive?
Phoenix is a wonderful community for small artists and handmade businesses! With so many markets and local shows year-round for vendors to showcase their work, plus small local businesses and stores offering wholesale and/or consignment opportunities, the support in Arizona for small business is continually growing and evolving. Local media outlets eagerly support artists, as do local social media outlets. And, with the emergence of ever more efficient and easy-to-use online retail options, plus the ability to sell over social media, it’s a great time to be a handmade artist!

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Our work is available through our website at www.wahltowallwordlove.com, via our Etsy shop at www.etsy.com/shop/wahltowallwordlove, locally at Audrey’s Shop at 11649 N Cave Creek Road in Phoenix, through our social media outlets @WahltoWallWordLove on Facebook and Instagram, our at local events including our very own Embrace Market at Pinnacle High School in Phoenix.

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