Brenda Stichter, artist

Hangar Pilot Around our house, there has been a "rule" that I cannot paint over older paintings until I have used up all of my fresh substrates - or at least all of the size that I want to paint. My Beloved husband made that rule, and actually, I sometimes count on him to help me with my painting vocation, because I cannot always pick up on what he can see. Sometimes I am ready to give up, and he helps me keep going. Sometimes, he will help me choose which shows and competitions to be part of because he can see the benefits and costs that I am too involved to see. I am so very grateful for him! 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. Well, and I am celebrating this, the time has come for another reclaimed surface - another paint-over! (Though I must admit, I just bought more substrates for a solo exhibit that I am scheduled to have next year. ...

Your Call is Important to Us As the USA celebrates 250 years this weekend, I am enjoying the celebrations, patriotism, and the general feeling that my society is (mostly) happy to be celebrating. In spite of the heat wave here in northern Indiana, the events, concerts, and fireworks are continuing, and I am glad. I am thankful for the blessings and freedoms that I participate in because of the sacrifices made over the last 250 years. What a privilege to live here.  2 paintings to be used either together or separately, vertical or horizontal orientation 36" x 48" each Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep gallery wrapped canvas Edges painted black Click here to view on my website. As I posted last time, my Beloved Husband and I have had a lot going on lately. If you follow along with me on a regular basis, you know that we have had an employment change (since selling the family business) and that we have lost some people who were dear to us. What I ...

Please Stay On the Line I am releasing a new diptych today! I will be sharing the paintings to my website separately (for marketing purposes) so my blog and newsletter readers will get to see the works together before anyone else does.  2 paintings to be used either together or separately, vertical or horizontal orientation 36" x 48" each Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep gallery wrapped canvas Edges painted black Click here to view on my website. The first of these paintings, Please Stay On the Line has a slightly less balanced feel to it, and it reminds me of the uncertainty of waiting without knowing when the next part of the answer will come. Both parts of this set started out with canvas activated with Bible verses, and much of that background shows through. I used tools and colors I rarely use, and it took concentration as well as conversation with family to pull a painting together that I am pleased with. Here are two translations of a p...

As Seen Along the Back Roads 'Is this "readable"?', I asked my family. Since I have been working on a large diptych for the last several weeks, and doing some plein air painting, this is the first small studio work in a while for me. I took the photo that I referenced for this painting several years ago, on an evening when my Beloved Husband and I were meandering home after watching the harness racing up in Amish country. 6" x 6" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on cradled wood panel Edges painted black Click here to view on my website. Lately, it has been a little tricky finding a good rhythm for painting, between lots of plein air events, new places to display my work, new work schedules, and miscellaneous summer activities. Maybe the craziness will actually help me as I have to squeeze painting in between other things - maybe I will get better at painting faster. Or, maybe not...  One of the last plein air events I participated in ...

Village Art Fair en plein air   Somehow or other, I always find it challenging to get started at a plein air event. I am not sure what it is that makes me hesitant to get going, but usually a good bit of time has passed before I am actually painting! This time was no different for me.  8" x 16" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on canvas panel Framed in simple, natural wood frame Click here to view on my website. Our weekend paint out coincided with the Village Art Fair, and also with the Farmers' Market that happen in the quaint community of Winona Lake, IN. The art fair has long been an event I enjoy in the summer, and I participated for many years by having my own booth there. The farmers' market draws my Beloved Husband and me for breakfast many Saturday mornings. The Northern Indiana Plein Air Painters had a booth at the fair, and we members were encouraged to attend and participate by doing plein air paintings in the area, so for my first ...

Winona Lake Bike Trails en plein air, framed Day one, painting number two, and I was hot and tired! Can you tell? I hope you can't, but I sure can tell when I look at this one. Probably it is more that I remember being so shot by this time.  7" x 5" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on canvas panel Simple white frame Click here to view on my website. One of the huge benefits of painting near home is that I already know some of the beautiful places nearby. This is a very popular area for walking and biking in the area. The walking trail is paved and slightly hilly, and there are sculptures along the way. It is also wooded, so it stays cooler than some areas. I especially like the welcoming gateway from earlier days when the property belonged to a boys club from Chicago - I think it is very picturesque.  I am not sure whether it is cheating or not, but I painted from our van for this plein air work. It was only sort of outdoors -  it was not in my stu...

Happy 250th Birthday USA! en plein air At the end of the plein air painting event, those of us who were participating were to be at our tent at the art fair in order to turn in our final paintings and have them judged, though it was a very unstructured and laid back event. The days had gotten progressively hotter and more humid, so when we found a good parking spot near the tent area, and a bit of decent shade there, we took a lunchtime break there. I decided to try to find something that I wanted to paint right there.  7" x 5" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on canvas panel Simple white frame Click here to view on my website. All weekend I had had the idea to commemorate the birthday of our nation in some way, but had not found anything I wanted to paint along those lines. Well actually, I had found something - there was a military plane fly-over that was SO COOL, but it did not sit still long enough for me to paint, of course. Finally, while collaps...