Sheryl Stempka was born in Pittsburgh and moved to the Erie area when she was 6. She grew up in McKean and went to General McLane High School. She was married and raised her family in the same district. In 2005, she took an 8 week course on how to do stained glass. It was just a hobby at that time. She loved it but she didn’t have a lot of time to devote to it as a stay-at-home mom to two young sons. A few years later, in 2016, her husband bought her a kiln, which opened up a whole new world in glass. Later, in 2017, she participated in her first craft show. It was then that she realized she could sell her work and she has been doing so ever since. She operates as a one woman show working out of her home.
Sheryl loves spending time with her family and her sons' multiple sports teams keep her busy and entertained during the school year. She also enjoys playing and going for walks with her dogs. She loves nature and being in the woods, with flowers, trees, and animals being a major inspiration and subject matter for her art. The thing she likes most about her glass craft is all of the many different elements involved to keep it interesting. If she's sick of soldering, she can just foil that day, or cut, or melt something in the kiln. There's never a dull moment!
