Discover Delmarva Arts: Erick Sahler

SALISBURY, Md. — From beaches to boardwalks to small-town main streets, artist Erick Sahler captures it all through bold colors and clean lines. His serigraphs celebrate the spirit, culture, and landscapes of the Eastern Shore. Now, we’re seeing how he brings his art to life.

“The screen gets registered, so there’s a screen for each color. In the case of this print, I always print light to dark, so the sun would have been the first color printed,” Sahler said.

Sahler was the managing editor at a local newspaper for 22 years before he found his calling — silk screen printing.

“I thought about these WPA posters from the 1930s — the National Parks: Grand Canyon, Zion, and Yellowstone. And I was like, ‘That style really appeals to me. What if we celebrated the Eastern Shore in that style?'”

Sahler’s very first print was of his beloved hometown, Salisbury.

“So now I’ve done probably 170 prints celebrating the Eastern Shore… But it started with Salisbury for that reason, because I wanted to say, ‘Y’know what, I love Salisbury, I believe in Salisbury, and Salisbury is worth celebrating,'” Sahler said.

He said it was his memories from growing up on the Eastern Shore that guided his work in those early years.

“It was a big deal to go to the boardwalk in Ocean City, to go to Trimper’s and ride that carousel. So a lot of what you see in my artwork is just me looking back at the things that really resonated and meant something to me,” Sahler said.

However, it was after a visit to Cambridge’s Harriet Tubman Museum that Sahler had one of his most eye-opening moments as an artist.

“With the geese flying over, the geese that are free, under the open sky with the North Star, all that stuff that she saw, that lured her, that gave her the courage to walk away… it’s powerful.”

What started as a way to capture the shore’s beauty has become a way to share its spirit with everyone who sees Sahler’s work.