Brenda Stichter, artist

Heart to Heart "Hey, I think Sleepy Owl has half priced pizza tonight. Want to go?" My Beloved Husband sure chose the right night to surprise me with an invitation out for supper! This is the last night before the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge, and so I have been trying to get ready for that all day. Let me tell you, it can take some planning! It is a huge undertaking to try to complete a painting every day, even if it is a study for a later, larger work!  Heart to Heart, painted in 2016 ( original post here ) 9" x 12" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on canvas panel So I was delighted to be asked out for a date for supper! I just had to run into my studio first, in order to get ready, because you might be an artist if your hair dryer, make-up brushes, and other similar tools are in your studio where you use them most ! For me, almost any household item (and also some tools and parts and pieces from the garage) is fair game for ma...

Collage of paintings, Boardwalk 1 & Boardwalk 2 (cropped) "I know you're painting, but if you want to go for a walk, this is the time to do it," said my Beloved Husband. It was late afternoon on Saturday (I think) and the weather was warmer and dryer than it usually is this time of year. It was great choice to go for a walk at one of my favorite places around here - the boardwalk that goes through a wetland and past a local lake. Lots of other people seemed to have the same great idea!  Boardwalk 1 Boardwalk 1, painted in 2014  11" x 14" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper Ready to frame The time was well spent, walking with my Love in the fresh air and sunshine. But, of course, my studio time is valuable to me too! Although, I am not sure whether it is quite right to call it "studio time", because  Boardwalk 2 Boardwalk 2, painted in 2014  11...

Beauty II "Did you call me on purpose?" she said. "Yes. Yes I did." I am afraid that the question is a fair one, since I, not uncommonly, have video called people with my phone. By accident. I might not be the most savvy person with my phone, but I am not afraid to try to make it do what I want it to do, which occasionally causes accidental video calls and so on. (insert eye roll here)  Beauty II, painted in 2015 ( original post here ) 22" x 30" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper This afternoon I was looking for a particular photo on my phone - and believe me, I have a LOT of photos on my phone - and I noticed something that made me smile. I have some of the oddest photos! Do you have odd photos on your phone too? I would guess so, because you might be an artist if you are distracted and entranced by (and have photos of) miscellaneous shapes, textures and colors . I made a co...

Could I Have This Dance? "Have you purchased your tickets yet to see the Fort Wayne Philharmonic on Thursday, January 25th?  The theme will be Cinema favorites. Come enjoy music from classic movies like Superman, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, Mission Impossible and many more..." This is the tantalizing Facebook post that caught my attention last week, and I was excited make plans for a date night with my Beloved Husband at the concert. I love the Philharmonic, and I love soundtrack music. I am really looking forward to tonight's concert. Could I Have This Dance? painted in 2017 ( original post here ) 12" x 9" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on canvas panel Quite a few years ago, my family and I were in the process of building a coffee shop from the ground floor up. We had a specific feel in mind that we wanted to convey, from the quality of our coffee to the decor of the shop. One day, a friend was helping paint as I was drudging m...

The Light is Already Here I am interrupting my series on "you might be an artist" because I am so excited to share this new painting that I finished a couple of days ago. I love it, both for the color and movement, and for the thoughts that inspired me to paint it. First, let me share what I wrote to my kids one morning recently: This morning, the sun was shining on trees in the fence row, lining the southeast edge of each trunk with shining white. Then, as the sun rose higher, the whole south eastern side of the woods was similarly highlighted. Each trunk, branch, leaf and bump of snow was gleaming on one edge. It struck me that, though most of the 10 acres was still in darkness, the sunrise, the light, WAS ALREADY HERE. But the darkened northwest side of the woods couldn’t see it yet.  Nothing can stop the dawn, though. The light HAS ALREADY CONQUERED the dark. The victory is already won. Even though it was so cold out that morning, I went outside in my socks to tak...

Offering In an interesting book I have been reading, I found this quote. "The mystery of God is not a mystery to be solved through human ingenuity; it is a panoramic vista of indescribable beauty that reveals our own smallness and frailty." Introverts in the Church , by Adam McHugh, p. 173 "We want to hear God's voice, which comes to us more often in whispers than in triumphant shouts." McHugh, p. 191  Reading books that make me think is one of the things I love to do, but I often struggle to find the time for it - as I am sure many people do! I find, too, that if I am interrupted mid- sentence, or even mid-chapter, I pretty much have to go back and start again to pick up the thread of meaning and be able to absorb the concepts. According to this author, introverts may have more difficulty continuing after interruptions because of the different way they process information. McHugh p. 38 And this really resonates with me, because I am quite introverted. M...

In Peace "I HAVE NO VIKINGS GEAR! This is a travesty!" I messaged my mother (who lives in Minnesota) and my son (who was born there, and is a Vikings fan). I was sorry to see my Minnesota Vikings lose their playoff game, and when I talked to my mom this morning, she told me she was "bleeding purple".  Purple is a favorite color for me, and some say it is a favorite for many artists. I don't really know whether that is true, but you might be an artist if the book Harold and the Purple Crayon was one of your favorites as a child. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson filled me with possibilities when I was a child, and a couple of years ago, my daughter bought me a copy for Christmas. I still love the simple book, and recently I even gave a copy to another artist friend, who, incidentally, is named Harold.  In Peace, painted in 2015, ( original post here ) 48" x 36" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on hand-...

Torn in Two "I love that painting," she said, "because I love that part of the New Testament story." Whenever my kids say that one of my paintings is special to them, you better believe I take note! For one thing, it really means a lot to me if something that speaks to me is also meaningful to them. Also, I would LOVE to be able to give them the paintings that they love. Up to this point, I have given very few of my paintings away, but my kids , well, they could probably have any painting they wanted of mine!  Torn in Two, ( original post here ) painted in 2016 SOLD 22" x 30" Painted with acrylic heavy-body paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper mounted on on hand-made, prepared cradled wood panel; edges painted in a shimmery gray/black Micaceous Iron Oxide Ready to hang There is also another reason that I take note if my family particularly loves something that I have painted. And it is probably true for you, too, if you are...

Not My Monkeys Most evenings, my Beloved Husband "reads" to me from his Bible. Well, we listen together, and read from his Bible app, technically! He says that reading and listening at the same time helps him focus on the meaning of what he is reading. But there are times for me when it is really tough to stay still and listen, because suddenly I have a picture in my head, or maybe a feeling that I need to get my sketch book or paints. And it doesn't seem to matter what the particular sentence is about. Sometimes just a group of words sends my mind off into color and shape instead of words.  Not My Monkeys Painted in 2016 40" x 30" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep gallery wrapped canvas, painted edges You might be an artist if you are suddenly distracted by a sentence - any sentence - and feel like you HAVE to get to your studio,  or to your sketchbook, or even to a napkin and pen, so that you can paint or sketch or d...

You might be an artist if you change your clothes when you either a.) go anywhere outside the studio, because they are paint covered, or b.)  find that they match! I know this cannot be a universal case for artists, but I so often read or hear that "every piece of clothing I have has paint on it". And I often find that my art friends have the most colorful and unusual outfits.  "Your clothes should be the least interesting thing about you," an artist once said. (I just did a quick google search, and found the saying is from a clothing designer who designs for professional corporate settings. The artist must have 'borrowed' that saying.) Some of the artists I most admire dress in only black, or only black and white. I am sure that even for those of us who usually have a bit of paint on our clothes, or who work in the studio by ourselves most days, the simplicity of a good "work uniform" could be very helpful! NLA 3 each 6" x 6" p...

Penny for Your Thoughts "You might be an artist if... " Last November, amidst the busyness and flurry of Thanksgiving, I had an idea that I wanted to use for my blog posts, but I knew that I couldn't keep up with posting them then. Today, I am going to start  to write several posts about "you might be an artist if..." and I will tie some of them with paintings done in past years.  I think this could be fun! Penny For Your Thoughts, painted in 2016 22" x 28" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper Ready to frame You might be an artist if you are caught by the color in a gray sky!   The other night, my Beloved Husband and I were driving to an appointment, and my attention was definitely more on looking out the window than it was on him (I am sorry to say). I drew a breath and said, " LOOK at the color in that sky!" to which he teasingly replied, "There is n...

Quiet 1.2 When I was working on my ' progressive painting ', I really enjoyed the freedom and direction I experienced. One of the things that makes acrylic my favorite medium is that it is quick, and easy to fix mistakes. I love that I can paint over almost anything and fix or change it. And that flexibility was even more pronounced with the progressive painting than it is normally. The painting changed very quickly, and changed drastically .  With that in mind, I reworked the painting I posted last week, and I may continue to rework it until someone wants it, or until I just love it so much I can't imagine changing it again. I am liking the idea of upcycling my painting into something new each time I redo it.  Though the color in the photo is not accurate, the feel of the painting is represented pretty well in this photo. I have been working from different color wheels for my color plan, using a few different composition ideas, and discovering shape, line, and v...

Quiet Happy New Year! I hope you have had the opportunity to celebrate during this holiday season, and I hope you feel loved. You are loved, of course, and I hope you know it - and know the One Who loves you more than you can imagine! This morning I painted for the first time in quite a while, and boy,  was it good to return to the studio! I absolutely love the time with my family, and having my adult kids here in our house has been fabulous, AND it is great to be in the studio.  Updated. Watch for post. 11" x 14" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper Ready to frame These last few days, my introverted character has been stretched and exercised by not very much alone time - especially compared to my normal routine. While I think it is healthy and helpful, it is also sometimes exhausting. Funny, though, I have not slept as much as I usually do!  So I have spent some time this morning look...

For Unto Us If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram , you have already seen this painting that I finished in mid-December. As I have done in other years, I have taken much of December to prepare for and spend time with family, and also to rethink and give a fresh start to my art pursuits. So I have actually been in the studio some, but you won't see the results right away, necessarily! (Keep an eye open for February, though. I plan to do a 30 paintings in 30 days challenge starting then.) NFS 12" x 12" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep gallery wrapped canvas,  sides are painted in a shimmery gray/black micaceous iron oxide This painting is a reworking of an older painting, and I love the way it expresses my thoughts of the season of Advent. I feel like the anticipation and joy came through in the shapes and colors, and it was joyful to work on it, too.  For this work, I would like to leave you with an ancient carol that ...