Renee Zettle-Sterling's work investigates how everyday objects can be sources of meaning beyond their physical properties. In particular, Zettle-Sterling is interested in how objects help us move through the difficult passage of mourning. Her meticulously crafted metal and found object forms become an outlet for displacement, emptiness, loss, and sentimentality. Her studio practice consists of exploring a multiplicity of media and techniques to create small-scale, body-oriented devices and jewelry as well as large site-specific installations.

Zettle-Sterling's training is varied, ranging from the study of metalsmithing and sculpture/installation, to papermaking/fibers from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Her work has been widely published, and she has shown extensively both nationally and internationally. Zettle-Sterling is an associate professor of art and design at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, where she teaches 3-D design, metalsmithing, and sculpture.