In the Diary series, Sterne is quoted, "Maybe I am saying something which is a truism, but I feel that my work all along was like a dairy." The artist "effortlessly weaves paraphases of quotes by poets, novelists, philosphers, and theologians throughout her conversations, enjoying their ability to communicate a polyphony of diverse yet interrelated ideas. She has noted, 'all in all my greatest mentors were always books.' Although establishing direct corollaries between her paintings and books that have influenced her remins impossible, Sterne's Diary series reveals the central role they play in her thought process as well as her work. For several months in 1976, Sterne placed blank, unstretched canvases on the floor of her main living space (which then, as now, functions as kitchen, dining room, and living room), and then drew a grid patterrn on each. Daily, she filled one square grid with either a quote of her own thought and the date. The handwriting in each square alternates consistently between all caps and lower case cursive, creating an over-all checkerboard pattern. As literal 'patterns of thought,' Sterne's Diary canvases occupy a unique bridge between the two languages she continually navigates: verbal and visual." -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.