Brenda Stichter, artist

Winter Wheat On the road to Fort Wayne, right along the four lane highway, there is a lovely old farm. I can't tell for sure, but it looks to me like no one lives there any more. I try very hard to see it every time I drive by, and I enjoy seeing the seasonal changes in the hilly fields that lead up to the two old houses. Probably my favorite time of year is when the winter wheat is ready to harvest. Last year (I think it was last year) I finally decided to photograph the farm, which is quite a challenge on such a busy road, but when I got there, the view was obliterated by the smoke from the extensive wild fires that hung in the air. Do you remember how that smoke covered so much of the Midwest last year? $350.00 plus shipping and handling 16" 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. I loved working on this painting! I loved looking at the photos to try...

Canaan "Your flight was canceled," read my email late last week. To be honest, I had not even thought about the heavy fog blanketing the area, so I was a bit surprised. What makes it even odder is that I am a (hangar) private pilot, so I ought to be very aware of weather, but I just wasn't. $100 plus shipping and handling 6" x 6" 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. One good thing to come from postponed travel was more time in the studio. I have been trying to keep working on some new goals and plans this month, and the delay gave me opportunity to continue moving (slowly) toward them.  This small abstract was one of the works that I was able to complete in the waiting, but I couldn't find a good name for the work. So, of course, I asked social media for some insights. Once again, there were so many good answers, and my favorite one was Canaa...

Everything But Broken Hearts "Could you paint abstracts en plein air (outside)?" For quite a while - a few years maybe - friends have asked me this question. And I guess I have usually said, "I suppose I could... ", but I was thinking I didn't know how I would do that. Well, good grief! As I was walking out the door the other night, I saw Art Fair on the Lake , a painting from 2015 where I painted an abstracted landscape. It was painted at an art fair, though I was not outside. But it was not a studio painting. I guess I have been able to do this for quite a long time! (Can you think of others of my older paintings that are obviously abstracted landscapes? There are actually quite a few!) 6" x 6" Painted with the finest quality acrylic heavy-body paint on hand-made, prepared wood panel Ready to frame Click here to view or purchase on my website. "I think this is finished. Can you see what it is?" I asked this question on social media, and got...

Wild Blue Yonder 2019 was the year we finally decided to make a family trip to Alaska, delivering a new RV to a business in Anchorage. Both of our adult kids took time off from work and arranged to meet us as we picked up the new vehicle, loaded up, and started driving to meet the Alaska highway and to explore a few places along the way to Anchorage. From finding and fixing things that weren't working on the first day of travel through the flight home, it was an unforgettable trip for many reasons. This painting is based on photos taken on that trip.  $215.00 plus shipping and handling 12" x 9" Painted with the finest quality acrylic heavy-body paint on panel Ready to frame Click here to view or purchase on my website. Just last week my Beloved Husband and I met friends for a meal, and my friend told me about a TV series that she has been watching called Landscape Artist of the Year. It is a British show and several episodes are available for streaming. Well, I started th...

Ancient Hymn, vertical  Over the weekend, I posted this work in progress along with a verse from the Old Testament that formed part of my inspiration for the painting. I was so pleased with the huge number of responses to my WIP post. Some of the responses really sparked new concepts and title ideas in my mind. The Old Testament verse I had used was ‭ Isaiah‬ ‭60:1‬ Arise, shine, for your light has come,  and the glory of the Lord shines over you.   $1300 plus shipping and handling 18" x 48" or 48" x 18" 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. But probably a larger part of the inspiration for the painting comes from the New Testament. A passage in Colossians is sometimes called an early hymn, and it was part of my focus for a couple of months.  Colossians 1:15 - 20 He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For ev...

On the Road Again On the Road Again $100.00 plus shipping and handling 6" x 6" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper Ready to frame Click here to view or purchase on my website.   Here is what I said on social media about this first painting of 2024:  On the Road Again. My first painting of 2024. 6" x 6" acrylic on paper For four days between Christmas and New Year's Eve my Beloved Husband and I drove to Colorado and back to retrieve some paintings. The weather was very different each day, and I loved the harvested fields, the mountains (obviously), the changing skies and clouds, and even the precipitation. I "saw" this little work while we traveled and finally got to paint it today. ‭‭ Isaiah‬ ‭30:21‬ and whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way. Walk in it.” How do I put this into words? I don't know, but I c...