Hiiiii, I’m Sara and I am a wallaper artist. When the craft of wallpaper hanging was first introduced to me, I knew nothing about it except that I felt that I would be really good at it. Turns out my instincts were on point and before long, I had my very own one woman run business.
How did I know that I would be a good fit for wallpaper? Well. I was already thoroughly enjoying the opportunities that came to be as a licensed painting contractor in the state of California. Experiencing the transformation of paint in a home thrilled me. Wallpaper is like that, but ten fold!
Also - I have been cutting, gluing, collaging, and crafting for as long as I can remember. I just felt at home with making art. When I was a kid, I stamped, embroidered, every school project was an opportunity to go above and beyond with my unbridled creativity.
I have been cutting, gluing, collaging, and crafting for as long as I can remember.
Not uncommonly, I headed off to college with an interest in the sciences. Focusing on art as a major never crossed my mind because I never really thought of it as a means to make money or give back to society. But I did pick a renowned liberal arts school with the motto “Creative Thought Matters” and had tons of art resources and even a teaching museum on campus! Art was never far away. My roommate in college introduced me to scrapbooking where I just took off - more gluing, cutting, designing, stamping, sticking, the works!
I graduated college with a BS in Exercise Science and made my way from the East Coast to the Bay Area. Eventually, I took an aptitude test to hone in more closely on what I was naturally good at. The aptitude test showed me that I needed more time alone to work on projects and collaborate with people in the beginning and end of a project ;) fabulous foreshadowing to how it works as a wallpaper installer. The test also showed me where my strengths lay. I thrived in the spatial awareness section - being able to move shapes around in my mind to reflect a different orientation, and also in brainstorming - coming up with lots of ideas very quickly. These skills are both extremely helping in troubleshooting on the fly when I am wallpapering.
It was about five years after taking the aptitude test that I found wallpaper, with lots of various experiences in between leading me to my mentor. It’s not everyday that you find someone so patient, knowledge, and willing to share everything they know, and that is why I know it was such a gift that I don’t take for granted. When it was time to branch off on my own, the process felt natural and I was excited to meet every opportunity as it came.
Over the years I have learned so much about wallpaper hanging, but also the gift of being in one’s home, taking the responsibility of transforming a room very seriously, and respecting the materials involved. Wallpaper artistry is more than just slapping on glue and hanging up paper. There is a real sense of getting to know the room and the pattern of the paper and then going confidently in the direction of creating a piece of art.
Wallpaper artistry is more than just slapping on glue and hanging up paper. There is a real sense of getting to know the room and the pattern of the paper and then going confidently in the direction of creating a piece of art.
When my installation business started to really hum on its own, I turned to nourishing more of my creative arts side. I picked up carving tools and used my fine finger dexterity to begin crafting stamps in rubber and linoleum. The outcome was incredibly satisfying to me. At about the same time, I also pursued the answer to “how does one design art for wallpaper?” and I’ve experienced a natural flow with creating repeating patterns. It’s pretty wild because historically, wallpaper was made with block printing techniques, the very same technique that I find fascinating and incredibly satisfying. Coincidence? Probably not!
Wallpaper is so special to me because it is like installing a huge art piece in someone’s home. That feels like such an honor, and for that reason I take my work and craft very seriously. I genuinely care about every client's vision and the impact it has on their surroundings. If you’re ready to connect with me, send me a message! I look forward to meeting you.
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