Susan Sterle’s Art is Genuine Texas

By Janna Zepp | Photos by Skeebo and contributed

Susan Sterle’s paintings depict farm life, pets, children, and a window back in time to rural Texas of not that long ago. Each image has a warmth and nostalgic feel that conjures up memories of family gatherings or sitting on a porch of a Texas farmhouse with a glass of iced tea on a warm, lazy afternoon.

Still life works of flowers or fruit hark back to painted images on porcelain plates that our grandmothers called “china painting,” a style popular in the middle of the 20th century. And her painting of a friend’s old tin barn takes the viewer back to summer days in Texas hauling hay or feeding cattle.

Sterle is certainly a Texas artist.

Art dominates Sterle’s life, and she brings that artist’s sensibility to her roles as a web designer, graphic designer, photographer, and the owner of an AirBnB business.

“The University of Texas at Austin is my alma mater. I received a (degree) in Fine Art with a concentration in graphic design in 1985. After I graduated from UT I worked in the film, prepress, printing and graphic design industry,” Sterle says.

Early in Sterle’s career, she worked for a company that sold supplies for printers. They also sold prepress equipment, and she was tasked to purchase and put together all the equipment before delivery. Sterle learned to install software, hard drives and a whole lot more. She also took on some of the prepress training and says she had tremendous growth in learning at that job.

“As I think back, that job was a blessing because I was forced to learn the basics of computer hardware and software. That knowledge has served me well for many years by helping me to understand hardware and software purchases for my businesses.” Sterle says.

In October 2015, Sterle decided that painting and art were going to be her main focus. She still does freelance graphic design and she says she really does love it, but sitting in front of a computer and staying inside and working in a cube was not for her anymore.

“Deep down I am an entrepreneur. I have a constant burning to find out how much more I can do! There is so much more I can learn and then prove to myself how much I can actually accomplish,” she says.

“Creating a painting for someone that moves them and makes them happy by creating a painting that reminds them of a time or place that was or is special to them; a cherished pet, a happy place, person or activity. It brings me joy to create a painting that brings joy to another person,” Sterle says.

The Sterle Fine Art Studio, located at 8 North 9th St. in Temple, was purchased in 2005.

“It was a place where I could both live and work. The property needed a lot of work when I purchased it and the renovation was one of my largest and most expensive projects. Needless to say, I have a lot of gray hairs from the process,” she says. “Although the renovation was an enormous task, it gave me a place to work and it has become a gathering place for local artists.”

The Sterle Historical Home AirBnB property was opened November of 2019.

Her career advice is as much for anyone as it is artists.

“Decide what you want to do and take massive action, avoid perfectionism. Perfection is stagnation. Get out there and try a lot of things and learn from it. Listen to your own instincts and try not to be persuaded on a daily basis by others. Stay focused and add value to others in whatever you do. Consistently reassess what you are doing and make sure it is working. Make adjustments in processes to try to make things run smoother and easier so you can move on to more growth,” she says.

“Your time is valuable; learn to value yourself as God values you. You are important and what you do is important. Share it with others and make sure it adds value to them. Don’t play small!”