Brenda Stichter, artist

Beauty Required "What if it storms on Friday night?" I asked my Beloved Husband. I am making plans for the annual Village Art Fair at the Village at Winona that is coming up this weekend, and am trying to decide which paintings to bring, how much can be done ahead of time, and when each part of the setup would best be accomplished. I know that those who are more seasoned exhibitors don't have these burning issues the week before the show, but I am still getting my bearings when it comes to outdoor art events!  10" x 10" Painted with the finest quality acrylic heavy-body paint on hand-made, prepared cradled wood panel Click here to purchase from my website. I am looking forward to sharing many of my paintings, and hope to see friends at the event. I plan to display my biggest paintings, as well as some very small ones. Beauty Required is a favorite painting of mine from 2016, and it is one of those that I will miss when it sells!  I hope for beautif...

Poem Ephesians 1:4a (HCSB) For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight.  This morning, as I read my Bible, this part of this verse in the New Testament captivated me! I am so thankful that, in Jesus Christ, I am holy and blameless in the sight of God! My mind and body relaxed as I thought about being chosen, holy, and blameless.  This week has been good, but scrambled and busy. Some of the time has been (happily) spent in the studio, and I have made progress on several paintings that have been 'on the easel', including this one.  SOLD 16" x 20" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper Ready to frame Click here to view on my website.  Delicious texture and color are what captivated me in this painting. I have had it in progress for quite a while, but because I loved the stage it was in, I couldn't proceed. I finally kn...

Beyer Trail Landscape II Today my son heads back to Dallas after having been here for a few days. Did you know that you can get sick to your stomach from sadness? I don't know when I will see him next, and it almost makes me panic. There have been these knots inside... But, even though that is true, I know he is where he should be. Dallas has been great for him! I love hearing his thoughts about the things he has been learning. I love the ways he has grown past me in his seminary education. (As has my daughter who lives in Michigan!)  One of the tough things is that I know almost every parent goes through this change. I know that everyone else makes it through just fine. And I am struggling so hard. Does everyone think they will be able to handle things? Do we all think we have some special strength when our kids leave home? Or is it just me? I know that when I get back into my studio on Monday, the routine and the joy of painting will return, and I will once again be able ...

Refreshing In the last little while, I have had a renewed interest in "Scripture songs" - music that is written to encourage memorization of passages from the Bible. My Beloved Husband and I have a list (that we collected about 20 years ago) of 35 or 40 songs that we knew of that were word-for-word Bible verses. We didn't always have the names of the recording artists and so on, but the songs could be sung straight from the Bible. In my Bible, I have marked many of the verses for which I know songs.  12" x 12" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep gallery wrapped canvas Click here to purchase from my website. Sometimes I find that one of these songs is playing on my brain's 'record player' while I am in the studio. I often find that I have (consciously or unconsciously) painted the expression of the verse I am hearing in my mind's ear. The problem sometimes comes when I try to use words to describe the conne...

Hallelujah ! Well, I am not ready for a (complete) switch to my website blog and newsletter, as it turns out. Which is actually a good thing, since most of my newsletter subscribers did not move with me! (If you want to get my newsletters that are written for and sent from my website, click here and fill in the info.) At least for now, I will probably still use this blog site for my daily exercises and longer 'stories' of my work. AND I will stick with my mail chimp newsletter to share these with readers.  I have been having SUCH a great time in the studio lately! Painting is always a pleasure for me, but lately, it has been even better - I have been knowing what I want to paint before I go to the studio,    getting results that I like, and getting SO messy! What fun.  Sold 11" x 14" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep gallery wrapped canvas Click here to view on my website.  Today's post is a painting that is intended to ...

Iron Sharpens Iron Proverbs 27:17 (HCSB) "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." Yesterday, an artist friend, Mark Daniels,  was struggling as he prepared for a show and also worked on finishing a commission painting at the same time. I could identify with the struggle, having just recently had my own open house, and knowing what a LOT of work goes into it! (Commissions are difficult, too. Welcome, and valuable, but difficult!)  I took the time to pray for him, and was glad to see that others were also praying and sending encouragement his way. I sent a quick note telling him that I prayed for him and showing him the painting that was giving me fits yesterday! (It has been on my easel for a couple of months, and I was losing my focus and direction with it.) Mark took the time to look at the painting and give me a couple of ideas for how to proceed with it, even though he, himself was in a tough spot.  SOLD 24" x 36" Painted with artist qualit...