Brenda Stichter, artist

Any Day Now 1030 - Clouds This will be a very short post today! I will be working as a docent in my local art association gallery, so I have to watch the clock... Part of the Any Day Now series celebrating flashes of the sacred in every day beauty.   4" x 4" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep cradled wood panel Edges painted black Click here to view or purchase on my website. Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom. I have been noticing spectacular cloud formations this autumn, and have wanted to paint them, but in an abstracted way. One day I took some photos of the sky because it was so blanketed with small, lumpy clouds. It was so interesting, and hardly looked real or natural! Of course, that is the cloudy day that I decided I wanted to paint.  Can you see the similarities between the cloud photo and today's painting? Somehow, this painting was more challenging to paint than many of them h...

Any Day Now 1029 - Golden Hour My mother loved green and gold. She would have loved the view from my front window this morning, as the rising sun threw long golden beams across the grass! Artists recognize the term "the golden hour" and we like to catch the especially warm light that we see in the evening just as the sun is about to set. But there is a golden hour in the morning, too, and that is what I was watching this morning. It just feels like even the air is gold! 4" x 4" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep cradled wood panel Edges painted black Click here to view or purchase on my website. Yesterday, one of the artists I follow (and I cannot remember who) posted something like, "the artists' goal is to paint something that looks effortless".  In a way, I agree with that statement. I think there is something very appealing in a painting that looks simple to paint, but makes me feel something. (I personally am not fon...

Any Day Now 1027 - Cascade My to-do list had my attention today, and not my Any Day Now painting for this series. I had probably 20 things on the list, (which will not get done) and painting was not near the top. But I glanced out the window in our family room, and our big old hickory tree caught my eye. It has turned a glowing yellow-gold, and the wind was making the leaves almost flash and shine as they moved.  4" x 4" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep cradled wood panel Edges painted black Click here to view or purchase on my website. The tree is huge, and it has branches that kind of hang down around the lower parts of the tree, and one of those branches looked like a cascade of shimmering gold outside of our window. It was so beautiful, and it drew me away from my list to instead celebrate autumn once again this October.  It has been tricky for me to figure out how to paint somewhere between abstraction and representation as I have done th...

Any Day Now 1023 - Books Today, the beauty of books is the subject for my Any Day Now painting. And I don't mean just books, but also story, the library, and the Book - meaning the Bible.   4" x 4" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep cradled wood panel Edges painted black Click here to view or purchase on my website. There have been so many "chance encounters" between me and the written word in the past week, and I really, really enjoyed doing this little painting. I have been into the physical library more in the past week or so than I have in a long time. (I use the digital resources from the library regularly.) My mom's kindle collection has been on my reading list, too, recently. I have also reconnected with a friend and we are sharing some reading notes, which is reminding me of favorite authors and books. And I don't know how I would make it through a week without my morning time reading my Bible.  While I wouldn't...

Any Day Now 1022 - Fall Color II Yesterday was rough. A young friend passed away from cancer. She had battled it for years, and she leaves a husband and teenaged kids.  A loved one of mine went into the hospital for a simple procedure, and it became much more complex than expected. Thank God, he seems to be doing well.  And my Any Day Now painting failed. That might not seem like a really big deal to you, but it weighed on me.  4" x 4" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep cradled wood panel Edges painted black Click here to view or purchase on my website. Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom. At the same time, the day was beautiful, with a bright and colorful morning, and then blustery showers and clouds (and rainbows) in the afternoon. I got to go with my Beloved Husband on a trip for his work, which I love to do. And the fall color is still fabulous. So my painting for today is once again c...

Any Day Now 1020 - Looking Up Today I walked in the woods, and it was fabulous. Somewhere near, someone is burning leaves, and that smell just makes it more autumn for me, if that is possible. The trees are more colorful than they were last week, and the temperature was just exactly right! I may have to go back out later this evening, just because it was all so invigorating.  4" x 4" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep cradled wood panel Edges painted black Click here to view or purchase on my website. Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom. I have fourteen Any Day Now paintings now, and one of them is already sold. I enjoy how each painting reminds me of something that caught my attention, and made me thank God for His touch on my day. There is something about painting one painting each day purely to remember the day's beauty that has been so rejuvenating for me! I hope you are enjoying seein...

Any Day Now 1017 - Blessing Are you familiar with the song "The Blessing" by Kari Jobe? It is a newer setting of this blessing in the Old Testament passage  Numbers 6:24-26  The Lord bless you  and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you  and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you  and give you peace.  I know of at least three different melodies that have carried these words, and each is beautiful.  4" x 4" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep cradled wood panel Edges painted black Click here to view or purchase on my website. For the last two days, this song has carried me , and I have prayed for this blessing to be on my loved ones. Even though they have been good, lovely days, my heart has needed God's grace.  Painting this Any Day Now series has been absolutely joyous for me, and I am so thankful that I have had these weeks of focus on the way God's grace shows up in the daily, mundane beauties...

Any Day Now 1016 -Quail Eggs I have tried something new this past month. Maybe you remember that I told you a while ago that our daughter had started raising quail. Well, they are doing quite well and are laying eggs, and so we have had a chance to try this delicacy! What I like even more than eating these little eggs, though, is just looking at them. The eggs are all patterned and colored, and they are all very different from each other. And they are just beautiful. 4" x 4" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep cradled wood panel Edges painted black Click here to view or purchase on my website. More than 30 years ago (how is that even possible?!), my Beloved Husband and I went to Brazil on a short term mission trip. It was a construction trip, and part of my duties were in the kitchen, I'm sorry to say. Ha! One of the days, a couple of us went to the market for supplies, and there was a vendor there selling quail eggs. I do remember them being...

Any Day Now 1015 - Fall Color We have had just a very small amount of rain in the last day or so, and it has made our fall colors explode! Our trees look magnificent across our pasture, and I really wanted to capture that.  4" x 4" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep cradled wood panel Edges painted black Click here to view or purchase on my website. Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom. We have one especially colorful tree that is almost center front when you look at our woods. Years ago now, my father-in-law was here at our house to help my Beloved Husband with something, and as he sat down to take a break, the sun came out full force and lit up the woods. My father-in-law was not especially prone to notice things like nature, but he stopped, took a deep breath and just said, "Wow." My BH has never forgotten that moment with his dad, and it makes that tree special to us. You can just...

Any Day Now 1014 - Shadows This morning as the sun came up behind our woods, it threw long, long shadows across the pasture. I loved the lime green against the dark background and shadows, and wanted to share it with you today.  4" x 4" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep cradled wood panel Edges painted black Click here to view or purchase on my website. Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.

Any Day Now 1013 - Calendar Last week I was considering what I would paint for my daily paintings, and several of the things that came to my mind reminded me of a grid composition for a painting. One of those things was my calendar. For some reason, my phone and computer have stopped syncing the calendar, so I feel like I cannot trust it to remind me of what I have to keep up with. (I think it is time to get a new phone, but I don't look forward to it. I must be getting too old to enjoy change!)  Also, I can hardly believe that it is already so close to the end of the year, though my calendar clearly indicates that! The autumn color in this painting reminds me of the beauty of this season , and the falling leaves.  4" x 4" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep cradled wood panel Edges painted black Click here to view or purchase on my website. Other "grids" recommended this composition, too. Last week I received a shipment of the rema...

Any Day Now 109- Steaming Coffee   I feel like I have a solid week under my belt on my daily painting series Any Day Now, and it has been so good for me. I hope you have enjoyed seeing more paintings lately. I find it very interesting to learn which paintings appeal to different people. It is not what I expect, that is for sure! And, you might not be surprised to learn, it is not at all unanimous. In fact, I suspect if everyone who sees the paintings voted for a favorite, there would not be a popular vote winner.  4" x 4" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep cradled wood panel Edges painted black Click here to view or purchase on my website. Yesterday morning I watched the steam rising from my coffee cup as I was reading my Bible in the morning. Our big family room was cool, but the sun was coming in the windows and it felt lovely. (Today, on the other hand, it was 63 degrees and so I moved into a different room with a fireplace.)  That mornin...

Any Day Now 108 - Corn Harvest Today I went with a friend on a "practice run" for being an emergency contact for picking up her preschooler. What an honor! I still haven't practiced with her car seat though, and it has been a L O N G time since our kids needed them. On the way, I saw one particular corn field that had dust and tractors, and part of the corn in the field was already harvested. I was struck by the beauty of that textured view of autumn gold. The relatively flat field where the corn had been cut was such an interesting contrast to the rough, vertical gold stalks and leaves that were still standing.  4" x 4" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep cradled wood panel Edges painted black Click here to view or purchase on my website. You know, I think I would have noticed that scene any other autumn. The shadows and textures are so interesting to me, and if my window is down, I can hear that particular raspy rattling of the wi...

Any Day Now 107 - Barn It may be cheating, but today I used a photo from last month for my daily painting. We got to celebrate my daughter's birthday by staying in a B&B on a functioning farm, and we were allowed access to the barn, animals, and pretty much anything we could want. We even had a bonfire with complementary s'mores! And although I tried to make this an abstract painting of the barn interior, it kind of sneaked toward a representational painting.  4" x 4" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep cradled wood panel Edges painted black Click here to view or purchase on my website. I hope you are enjoying this series as much as I am. Maybe tomorrow I will photograph the whole group together again!  John 14: 1-3  “Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. If I go away and prepare a pl...

Any Day Now 106 - Vase of Flowers This past weekend my Beloved Husband traveled to another state for the funeral of one of his extended family members. We had both intended to go, but then I had an artist event that we thought I ought to attend, so he rode with his cousins.  4" x 4" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep cradled wood panel Edges painted black Click here to view or purchase on my website. My decision had to be made at the last minute as I waited to learn more about my particular event, which was scheduled to be held in Indianapolis. In fact, I had to choose about the funeral before I knew whether I would attend my event. Somehow or other, between my making the decision and his departure, my Beloved Husband found time to get flowers for me! (I am the most blessed wife I know!) John 14: 1-3  “Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you...

Any Day Now 104 - Cows It is very unusual for me to paint on a Saturday, unless it is en plein air, but today I have continued my daily painting series. I am afraid my Beloved Husband is not a fan of this painting, so I know that this may be a very unpopular painting. But maybe I can help people understand it, and I think it will look nice with the whole group! 4" x 4" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep cradled wood panel Edges painted black Click here to view or purchase on my website. I don't remember whether I told you or not, but there is a brand new baby calf in our pasture! The mama cow keeps him (or her) out in the middle in the tall grass most of the time while she is grazing. The few times I have walked out there, she has walked over between me and baby.  (Stranger danger?) I am actually amazed at just how small this baby is - though it is really tough to tell in the photo.  We currently rent the pasture out to the man who rais...

Any Day Now 103 - Evening Clouds Last night the sky around here was just stunning, and it was the whole, all the way east to west sky. I walked around our property just enjoying the beauty for a long time, and tried to mentally photograph the effects. I tried also using a phone camera, but to tell the truth, neither the camera nor the mental photograph really did the sky justice! 4" x 4" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep cradled wood panel Edges painted black Click here to view or purchase on my website. I think I am coming to a plan for this series, finally! I plan to use the same substrates and the same 6 or 7 (Oh dear. I know 6-7 has become a trend, of sorts, but I really didn't intend to use it!) paint colors, and I will try to paint something from my daily experience. And I think it will be mostly abstract paintings, though I already know what I want to do for tomorrow, and it should definitely be more representational!  Please forgive...

Any Day Now 102 - Sunny Morning Update: I changed both names! If you are paying close attention, you will notice that I have released Any Day Now after I already started the series yesterday with another painting with almost the same title. Well, I warned you that I might decide to change some things with this series, and I think that may be happening already, and this is just the second painting in the group! I have an idea of what I want to do, but since I am still mulling it over, I won't brag about it quite yet. Ha! 4" x 4" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep cradled wood panel Edges painted black Click here to view or purchase on my website. Today I have used the same color palette and the same substrate and have come up with a completely different kind of painting. I do find it interesting how dissimilar the colors can look just by mixing them in another way and by how they combine in the painting.  As of today, I still plan to use the ...

Any Day Now 101 - Flannel I was talking to my daughter on the phone the other day, and I said, "I think I will start..." and I second guessed myself and stopped talking. She said, "a new painting series?" Ha! She might know me pretty well!  4" x 4" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep cradled wood panel Edges painted black Click here to view on my website. October is not the month when many artists choose to do daily paintings, but I think that is how I will approach this series. Today's painting is full of autumn color, and actually reminds me of a plaid flannel shirt on a cool day. There is also a brighter area which I intended to represent light near the focal point.  In a way, I am diving into this series without quite knowing which direction I want to go with it. I hope to make a painting each day, and I want to make them work well in groupings, but I am still not decided on some things, such as which compositional cho...