Local artist is revealed in full color

Posted: Friday, January 15, 2010 12:00 am

Back in October 2009, the Ear ran a story about local artist JO BROWN's attempts to rescue a sign at the Astoria Senior Center painted by the late ARVID WUONOLA, who had a sign painting business in town for 56 years (The Ear was curious, and wanted to know more about him).

JON WESTERHOLM called about the story, and recalled that his mother graduated from high school with Wuonola , and was "well known in Knappa, could draw like mad and enjoyed doing it."

Pictured above, top left, Arvid Wuonola in 1985; bottom left, during World War II; and bottom right, painting a window in Astoria.

Out of the blue, EDITH UUNILA TAYLOR of Texas wrote to the Ear and sent contact information for MARK WUONOLA, Ph.D., pictured above, right, Arvid's son, who lives in Massachusetts. In an e-mail, Mark graciously wrote about his father, whom he "loved, respected and admired greatly."

"It was unusual growing up in a small town with the added feature of one's father being recognized by all, and known and beloved by many," Mark wrote. "He was a businessman, but his first love was the people he worked with. He was one of those people with the blessing that he loved his work. He had struggled when he started his business in the depth of the Great Depression, 1932, after an apprenticeship at Oregon Sign and Neon in Portland. Before that, he had practiced and learned brush lettering during high school at Knappa-Svensen High School."

"He never took shortcuts," Mark said. "If the piece of wood for a sign would have looked good enough for most sign painters to letter the sign onto, 'good enough' wasn't good enough for him. An extra coat of paint it was. I worked for him Saturdays and summers during junior high, high school and the first few years of college, and remember how he scrutinized my work. And, I should add, his own.

"He enjoyed working with the film crews when they were in town ... he liked meeting the people. He was a people guy, and generally ended up being introduced to the stars because he was larger than life himself - his warmth, his smile, his genuineness."

"His business was very successful," Mark added. "He loved to work," and "greatly admired the 'Abraham Lincoln of legend.' Even though some of the stories of 'Honest Abe' were probably more fiction than fact, Arvid Wuonola believed them as if they were gospel. And what is important is that he lived them. He gave his customers 150 percent."

Elleda Wilson

Reprinted with permission of The Daily Astorian of Astoria, Oregon.