New Homes and REviews
San Francisco, California
“I met Honora Berninger in 1961 in college in Ohio. We became fast friends and were attendants in each other’s weddings. Our friendship has survived moves to NY, NJ, Florida NC and California.
We get together every year and I have followed her love of glass. I have many favorite glass jewelry pieces that she made. She made a magnificent stained glass piece for a specific window in my home in Berkeley. Now she is making these beautiful glass citiscapes. I live directly across the Bay from San Francisco and asked her to make me a cityscape of the SF Skyline. It is beautiful and one of my very favorite art pieces. I will treasure it always.”
-Elizabeth Smith (Pleasanton, CA)
Chicago, Illinois
“We love the Chicago citiscape that Honora made for us. We hung it opposite a photograph of the Chicago skyline, and the stained glass complements it perfectly. The lacquered wooden shelf she provided is a decorative solution to holding the piece safely on the wall.”
-Tony Contino (Pittsboro, NC)
Portland, Oregon
“After seeing her work, I asked for a custom Portland skyline as a gift for my Oregonian husband. Not only was Honora willing to take on a special order, she researched the skyline to find the most iconic buildings while incorporating my husband’s favorite bridge. The final piece is unmistakably Portland, right down to the details on the bridge and brought my husband a tiny piece of home.”
-Ronnie Bower (Durham, NC)
San Francisco, California
“I am an amateur collector of unusual and original art. I met Honora Berninger when a friend took me to her and her husband’s home in North Carolina (never can remember the city; it is in the region called RTP). One of the first things I noticed in their family room was a lead/glass silhouette of the New York City skyline with the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. The silhouette was mounted in a very nicely finished piece of hardwood that was originally a 2 x 4. This was located on a shelf near the ceiling and was about three feet long and 18 inches high. The top was about one foot from the ceiling. The buildings were outlined in metal and the shapes inside the frames were different textures of frosted glass. As I looked around the room, I saw several others of these, all of which I recognized immediately.
I did not see one of San Francisco. I have lived nearly half my life in San Francisco and thought how nice it would be to have one of San Francisco. On a subsequent visit, I commissioned Honora to create this for me. I did not ask the price, because I felt I had to own such a piece of art. She created it without input from me and it turned out to be more than I had expected. She carefully packaged it and shipped it to me in San Francisco. She warned me that opening it would be a job, and it was best to have two people. The framed glass is separate from the wood base. It was in perfect shape when I unpacked it. All I had to do was insert the bottom of the frame into the slot in the wood. When I knew it had shipped, I ordered a glass brass-framed console table (42” wide x 11” deep x 30” high). Honora’s artistic creation was a perfect fit and it, on the table, now adorns a wall in my living room. This has become one of my prized possessions.
If you have some attachment to a city, like I do to San Francisco, you should commission Honora to create one of these pieces of art for you.”
-David Sparkman (Antioch, CA)
Portland, Oregon
“Five plus stars out of five! Honora shared different stained glass city horizon ‘scapes’ online and when I saw Portland, Oregon, our new home since moving from DC a couple years prior, I knew I had to have it! Honora was very easy to work with - she provided clear details and updates throughout the process and was very timely. Sending such a large piece of art from the east coast to the Pacific Northwest seemed impossible to me as mail/deliveries have been much more challenging living here. When we went to retrieve our package at UPS, we were astonished by the care given to protect the glass and wood stand. Thin, strong wood and foam cushioning surrounded by numerous packaging layers and strong tape created an impressive cocoon around our Portland skyline art piece.
Opening it up and later (post home renovation) placing the horizon on the wood stand took our breath away. We’re still learning which bridge and building is which as new Portlanders! This art piece has served as an inviting conversation piece to our friends, family, and visitors coming into our home and we are so proud to display it. The handiwork is what you would expect from a seasoned professional and working with Honora is like working with chosen family - fun, honest, and highly competent. I would highly recommend this piece or any that Honora has created.”
-Tara Perdue (Portland, OR)
New York City, New York (Honora: My Home)
Circle Foundation for the Arts Review