It is said that if one loves their work, they’ll never work a day in their life.
Such is the case of an inspiring and deeply talented artist whose canvas is glass and whose paint brush is a soldering iron.
Located at 11 S. Main St. in Oberlin, sits Verite Glass owned by artist and instructor Sheree Ferrata.
Ferrata’s business specializes not only in creating beautiful works of stained glass art and functional panels, but also in the restoration of those pieces as well.
Her work hangs throughout the country in private homes, but also hospitals, churches, schools and museums.
Ferrata has been working with stained glass for more than 40 years and says she has no plans to retire any time soon.
“I just absolutely love what I do,” she beamed. “I’ve been doing this for so long and yet I still have the same passion for it today as I did yesterday.
“I so look forward to doing the work and creating these pieces. Seeing people’s faces when you finish something they’ve always wanted or fixing something that is breathtakingly beautiful and restoring it back to its original glory is just so gratifying.
“I enjoy each project and each day.”
And, not only is her work on display in schools throughout the country, she is a well known and sought after instructor – one of the foremost in her field.
Ferrata provides instruction to various public schools, universities and now is working locally with the Lorain County Joint Vocational School as part of its art program and expects to provide several internships and apprenticeship opportunities to the next generation of stained glass masters.
Instructional classes
Verite Glass offers a number of instructional classes for the average jane or joe that would like to put their creativity to work.
She offers instruction in stained glass or glass fusion, which includes all the instruction, tools and supplies a crafter would need to create their masterpiece.
For only $30, Ferrata also offers a glass fusion pendant class which introduces novices to the art of glass fusion and students learn to create a dichroic glass pendant to be worn like a necklace, keychain, earrings or bracelet, for example.
Verite Glass also offers what Ferrata calls a “fusion party” for $50, plus $30 per object made where attendees over the course of three hours, learn to create pieces through the glass fusion process.
Ferrata said this course, designed for a minimum of seven people, is perfect for birthdays, team building, bachelorette parties and more.
“I so enjoy teaching and sharing the craft with others,” she said. “I’ve taught probably thousands of people over the years. I began teaching when I was working with companies like Ford and Kobe Steel and LTV, where they would do employee outings and we’d create stained glass pieces.
“It can be intimidating at first to some people, but once they get the hang of it, it’s just a lot of fun. I teach a seven-year-old girl here in Oberlin and it’s just an incredible feeling watching her at such a young age start to pick up the craft. And, she’s really getting good at it.
“All of the colors coming together and you just see her eyes light up. I think that’s what I enjoy so much about the teaching process is watching the students when everything starts to come together and they start to really see the finished product and what they’ve created.”
Love for glass
Ferrata herself started off wanting to be a professional photographer.
But, she began working with stained glass masters and fell in love with the process.
She apprenticed under world famous stained glass master Narcissus Quagliata, whose work can be seen in museums and private collections worldwide.
Quagliata defined new pathways for glass art and is considered one of the most significant artists in this medium.
He is best known for his spectacular artworks in public spaces which have drawn worldwide attention, including The Dome of Light: Wind, Fire, and Time, which is the largest illuminated glass art dome in the world.
It is situated in the Central Station of the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit metro system and is a landmark that has now become a tourist destination in Taiwan.
“I apprenticed with him for four years while in San Francisco,” Ferrato shared.
Vérité Glass opened its location in Oberlin in 2015, and Ferrata works in the studio with her apprentice Joseph Toothman.
She joked that sometimes the pair will be so “in the zone” when working on a piece that they won’t even speak all day.
The company specializes in commission work and restorations, but also will create prospective pieces that Ferrata will market to various curators for their collections.
A current piece, a three-foot-wide arched nightscape, is two years in the making and nearly ready to be marketed.
But, Ferrata explains that the vast majority of the studio work is based on a commission from someone needing her creativity and expertise.
“We hand draw our own designs to client specifications while working with them on color and motif,” she said. “We pride ourselves in the use of quality glass and refined technique.
“We can determine the use of lead channel or fine jewelry technique of copper foiling to properly finish a custom made stained glass piece. We have rebuilt antique windows as old as 200-plus years old. We refurbish the material to keep the antiquity of the window, maintaining its value.”
And, Ferrata stressed that do it yourselfers should not DIY their stained glass windows.
“Over time, the leading becomes oxidized so old windows don’t have the same integrity as they used to, and just taking them out could cause them to completely fall apart,” she explained.
Her shop also carries handmade creations from 15 fellow artists including jewelry, jewelry boxes, woodwork, artwork and more.
More information is available at www.VeriteGlass.com or by calling 440-774-4881.
