Brenda Stichter, artist

Lift Up Your Head, O Gates In response to the invasion of Ukraine this past week, I felt the need to paint. Although the urge to get to the studio was very strong, I was unable to start the first day. Between other responsibilities, and not knowing which direction I wanted to go with the painting, I had to delay starting. I thought I knew the colors I wanted to use (not these colors, as it turns out!) and I had a prepared canvas ready, but the painting would not flow for me.  Updated, see website below. 12" x 12" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep gallery wrapped canvas Edges painted black Click here to view or purchase on my website. The next day, I started my Bible reading, intending to read Psalm 25, but I found myself in Psalm 24 instead. These verses impacted me strongly! Psalm 24:7-10 Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The...

Chronicles Some time ago, I dreamed about seeing a Lion as I was coming down a street on horseback. In my dream, I met and loved this Lion, and I knew he represented Jesus Christ to me. When I told my Beloved Husband about it, he asked me whether I thought the concept came from Scripture or from the writings of C. S. Lewis. I wasn't sure, but now I am confident that it was both.  It was a powerful dream, and after searching for references in the Bible, I began painting this work.  early progress photo While the Lion was the spark that ignited my imagination, the inspiration for the painting changed and grew as I worked on it. For one thing, I noticed as I read my Bible that the concept of God being represented as a lion is not quite like what I had expected. All through the Old Testament, lions are feared and are used as an example of judgement. The only place I found that seemed a bit different was in Hosea, where God is the Champion and His people came to Him in fear. (...

Andrew's Window While traveling and out of the studio for various reasons lately, I have enjoyed reading a book that is new to me, Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson. It was on my (theoretically real) books to be read list, and then my Beloved Daughter read it and highly recommended it to my son and me, so I got a copy to read on my Kindle. I am going to have to buy a real live copy, though, because there is so much to mark and look up!  NLA 36" x 12" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.75” deep gallery wrapped canvas Edges painted  Click here to view  on my website. Peterson is a singer/song writer, and also an author. I haven't read any of his work before, but love some of his songs! He speaks in this book of honoring your audience, and of honoring your craft, among many other things. The thing that struck me with this painting, though, was the simplicity of his writing style, both in the book and in his music.  Close-up of texture "I w...

Progressive #4 I have been enjoying the looks back at earlier works that are still available, and I am not kidding when I tell you that I have at 4 canvases and a work on paper underway in my studio! So keep watching for the newer work in the next weeks. Progressive #4 has been awarded several honors, including awards at competitions and inclusion in larger regional venues. I remember working on this painting for several days in a row, and how it just kind of decided on its own that it was done! It was finished in 2017, and I can see a lot of the decision making and direction in this work as a significant learning point in my development as an artist.  I love that I can see the development in my work as I look back.  NLA 12" x 12" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on deep gallery-wrapped canvas Ready to hang Click here to view on my website. Philippians 1:6 (NASB) For I am confident of this very thing, that  He who began a good work in you will perf...

Be Mine Today has been a very snowy day here in northern Indiana! So far, it looks like we have gotten around 8" of snow during the daylight hours, and more is expected, and tomorrow they are predicting wind along with the additional snow. For my friends in the north, this might not seem like a big deal, but Indiana is not as prepared as (for example) Minnesota is for this winter weather!  The snow has rearranged a lot of plans here, including mine, and has brought to my mind these little snowy looking Valentine paintings from last year. I still have these two left, and I think they are very sweet paintings. They have lots of texture, and a bit of sparkle peeks through the layers here and there. I think they look like bushes or trees with candy hearts in them. Do You Love Me? Are you looking for something out of the ordinary to give your friend or loved one for this upcoming Valentines Day? This might be just the ticket! Each painting is a dainty 4" x 4" acrylic on water...

Snowing at Gravesend, 2021 For several days now, the weather prognosticators in our area have been telling us that a winter storm is coming our way. One tongue-in-cheek reference I saw said that we were expecting 1" - 85" of snow in the next 3 days. Last night, my Beloved Husband had an errand to run, and he decided to stop at the grocery store to pick up a couple of essentials, but the lines were extremely long, so he didn't get all that he wanted to. As I type, the clouds have just spread over the area, though it still looks pleasant outside.  Almost a year ago I first posted this painting that is titled Snowing at Gravesend, and in that post I talked a bit about the excitement I saw in another artist as he was outside in snowy weather in his city. His exuberance was contagious! I watched his video several times just for the joy I saw in him.  9" x 12" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor pape...

From the Heart, 2019 Today I enjoyed a look back at this painting from 2019 as I posted  about it  on social media and reread the original blog post. I loved remembering a symposium shared with my kids, and the gift my loved ones are to me. Today at the post office, I bought a couple of sheets of new stamps, and I chose the Celebrate stamps. Have you seen them? They are so cheerful. I suppose they might have come out at Christmas, but I found them to be  encouraging today, too.  James 1:17 (HCSB) Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning. It was helpful to be able to focus on these good things today. The last several days have been full of difficult losses - nothing like what many have suffered, but losses nevertheless.  22" x 30" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper Ready to fram...