Make Art: Terrie Sternberg, Artist at Home
The Reverend Terrie Sternberg is the Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church and on the Board of Directors for the Fine Arts Center.
There’s one room in my house in which I ought not walk barefooted . . . I have a studio full of glass of all shapes and sizes, thanks to learning the art of stained glass at the Fine Arts Center from Mrs. Edna Love. That began my fondness for the interplay between light and glass and color. Under Edna Love’s tutelage I learned both the copper foil and lead came techniques. Since my beginnings in the classroom at the Fine Arts Center around 2005, some of my artwork is installed in my church, and much of what I create is donated for use in fund-raising activities for non-profit organizations in our county and the New River Valley. With the same glass, I enjoy making mosaics for bird baths, bench seats, and home décor. One of my more recent passions has become incorporating intricately cut depression-era plates or saucers into stained glass designs. Cut glass and light make a lively combination! And then there’s vintage prism lenses and even a 1940’s vintage street car light lens that has interesting potential.
Creating art with stained glass is challenging for me because it requires the artist’s eye and knowledge of art basics such as color, saturation, opacity vs. transparency for foreground and background. It also requires a certain skill for the mechanics of cutting, fitting, soldering, and framing pieces. I have pretty well gotten the mechanical part down pat, but the art part still gives me a challenge! That’s when I wish I were an artist as well as a technician.
At some point, I would like to pass along what I learned from Mrs. Love to others in the NRV who might want to be introduced to the world of stained glass. It has made a real difference in my life—it’s fun, brings beauty, and is an agent for supporting worthy causes!