EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE: Hear, ye! Hear, ye! Local art on a Pepsi

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — When Pepsi, one of the biggest soft drink makers in the world, puts your art work on two million of their cans, it’s a big deal. Just so happens that Wilmington artist Sarah Sheffield’s art work is on two million Diet Pepsi cans. She is our Extraordinary Person of the Week.

“This is what I came up with,” Sarah Sheffield said of her painting.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

“It’s supposed to say “friendly, Happy” with the colors and vertical design,” she continued.

We have an announcement that is EXTRAORDINARY!

“This couple right here is the Town Crier, from Cary’s sister city in Ontario, Canada,” Sheffield said of the center characters.

Wilmington artist Sarah Sheffield has been painting for about 15 years, but this year is a little different.

“We were all very excited,” Sheffield said. “Wooooo! You can’t plan that kind of thing in your life. If I would have tried, it wouldn’t have happened.”

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Lazy Daze Arts and Crafts festival in Cary, North Carolina, Sarah was asked to be the featured artist for the event poster.

Her decision to feature the town ‘crier’ brought ‘tears’ of joy.
“They(the couple) come each year to greet and welcome people to the festival. I thought they’d make a wonderful focal point and they had never been featured,” Sheffield said.

So the painting was completed.
Then the painting would be chosen to be on two million Diet Pepsi cans.
Just one condition….
….fit the dimensions of the can.
Allllll that excitement lost its fizzle. The sweet feat was in danger of becoming flat because no one knew what to do.

“I was kind of thinking, sick to my stomach, am I going to miss this opportunity?” Sheffield worried, “and the town of Cary was thinking are we going to miss this opportunity? And then I though I have this wonderful daughter in law”

A daughter in law who works in advertising and design. Next thing you know, Pepsi approved. The cans are made.
And this Wilmington artist is posing with none other than…(click)….the Town Crier in Cary….and proudly showing off a few of the two million cans at her studio in Downtown Wilmington.

Hear ye Hear ye, Sarah Sheffield, you and your creativity are Extraordinary!