Brenda Stichter, artist

Against the Faintly Lavender Sky I have been reading more  again  lately, and I recommend it! T o my dismay,  I had found myself going to my phone for beauty and inspiration, and it is very unsatisfying. (Not to mention, addicting.) And honestly, I have so many books I want to read! My art book stack is enormous, and I find so much help and inspiration in those pages.  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 I finished reading Re-digging Art’s Foundations: Essays on Gospel and Art , by David Thistlethwaite. I really loved this book, though it was challenging reading at times. It may be that I have let my college/post-college reading level slip a bit, you know? There are hot-pink colored-pencil highlights on at least half of the pages, I would say, and I want to revisit the book while the concepts are still percolating in my mind....

Green Morning Light The next in my tiny representational paintings is a view of the spring green that I see when the sun shines through the leaves and trees in the woods. I hope you already knew that from seeing the painting! Every spring, this view catches my breath, and I have tried so many times to capture its beauty. I think this is a pretty good suggestion of it, but nothing quite does the green morning light 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 find the landscape itty-bitties, that are mostly done with palette knife, very quieting. I have 10 or so now, and I love painting them, and I love seeing them grouped on our mantel above the fireplace! They are kind of daily reminders - like a painted journal, of sorts.  John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be ...

Somehow or Other I really like order. Being home, boring schedules, quiet time. These last weeks have had very little of that! I told you last week that the family business had been sold. Also, as I mentioned, as we prepared for the sale, my Beloved Husband and I took a bunch of trips in the flatbed, shuffling masonry products here and there. While those trips were so delightful, they were interruptions in studio time, and tough physically as the big truck rattled over the miles! Somehow or other, during the chaos of that time, I was able to finish this painting.  This is a "paint-over" - a reclaiming of a painting that was still in my storage that I have held for a long time. I allowed the original work to show through in places, and accentuated parts where it needed it. It has suggestions of a grid composition and a cruciform structure. Kind of like time (calendar) and eternity. It's main color scheme is complementary, with blue and orange being most obvious. The first ...

Ooh, Spring Greens! It has been a doozy of a week around here! So many adjustments being made and changes coming our way - my head is spinning on some days.  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.  The time has finally arrived to let you know one of our big changes. The family-owned company that my Beloved Husband has been employed by is changing hands. The new owner is starting to pick up the reins, and will have the help of most of the current employees, and it looks to be a very positive transition. But it is a B I G transition for us, and for other family members who will be moving on to other pursuits. We are not sure what all to expect from the changes, but we know the timing is right and we anticipate such good things! ______ This spring, I have just been mesmerized by the greens all around me! I think I may have written about that several weeks ago, but it conti...

Buildups Across the Pasture I think I have a new go-to in my studio. When I feel like I need to paint a little bit more representationally, I am loving painting on these little 4" x 4" cradled wood panels! Whether it is a palette knife painting, like this one, or brush or other tools, these just fit the bill for me sometimes.  4" x 4" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep cradled wood panel Edges (will be) painted black Click here to view on my website.  It has been a remarkably full week. Over the weekend, I went to my first official paint out of this year at a beautiful state park about 90 minutes' drive from my home. Our intended focus was the stunning Eastern Redbud trees, which were in full bloom. The park was full of the magenta trees, and the day was pleasant, though chilly and cloudy. I completed two paintings, but was not happy with either one, so I will be painting over them... maybe at the upcoming paint event this weekend!...

Exit the Traffic Circle Well, let that be a lesson to me! Earlier today, before allowing myself to get so distracted, I knew just what I wanted to say about this painting. And now I am stuck as I try to remember, so this may be a very scattered blog post! My gut says I wanted to express the swirling doubts, the crazy backdrop of life as I /people live it these days. But how does it pull together? 22" x 28" 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. For one thing, the painting makes me feel a tiny bit claustrophobic. But also, there are things that show that an artist painted it, not a 6 year old. The repetition in all quadrants, the cruciform or grid composition, the curves and colors in all quadrants.  The row of 5 squares draws the eye as the focal point, even if it is not in it's usual placement. Hmm. Not in it's usual placement.  It is so very busy t...

A Touch of Spring I just got back inside after taking a walk in my woods - the first one in weeks! It has been so wet here, and part of the trail has been under water. I have enjoyed my walks in other places, (including my treadmill where I have been watching Hogan's Heroes reruns - what fun!), but there is just nothing quite like my own woods. Over the years, I have become very familiar with the whole 8 or 10 acres that is part of our property, but today it seemed somewhat unfamiliar. Every spring seems to bring new things there, but this year... 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.  I do think that the huge gash that was cut into the woods a couple of years ago (due to an easement) is beginning to impact the whole plot in different ways; some are helpful and some not so much. But on the positive side, the single dogwood tree back there was glorious today! This i...