Brenda Stichter, artist

River House 1 For the last couple of days I have had the opportunity to paint in a new location, in a sun room overlooking a river, and it has been a glorious way to break into plein air painting for this year. I am not sure that it would technically be called plein air painting, since I am not exactly outside, but I did have to pack up my kit and travel, and the windows opened wide and let in the outdoors as I worked. It was spectacular! 8" x 16"  Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on panel Framed in simple frame Click  here to view on my website.  While I was painting, I saw quite a few new-to-me things, like a bird that is unfamiliar to me, a black squirrel with a white tip on it's tail, and a bunch of deer that meandered through the wooded area across the river and eventually lay down in a little hollowed out spot among the trees. As you know if you have followed me in the past, I love the outdoors and flora and fauna when I am able to be among t...

Whatever Is Not An Annoying Word   I was trying to come up with a title for this painting, and I wanted to work with the word "whatever".  This painting was on my easel during my open house, and at that point, whatever was the only obvious thing I had painted. (See the progress photos later in the post.) I thought of several ideas, like "whatever floats your boat" and "whatever it takes", or maybe just "whatever". But I thought all of those ideas had a slightly sarcastic, irritating quality.  30" x 40" 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. So, I googled "phrases using whatever", and I asked my family for ideas. Whatever flips your lid? Whatever you got? Whatever pops your cork? Interestingly, one of the things google showed was that whatever has been chosen as the most annoying word for several years running. (D...

Akin to Prayer Early this week, we celebrated balmy spring weather, almost to the point of my pulling out my summer wardrobe. Tomorrow night, it is supposed to be frigid. And in between were thunder storms, which I love when they don't bring damage in their wake. To me, spring brings something that is just spectacular in the deep blue of the sky (whenever the Hoosier perma-gray breaks for a minute), and especially the bare sycamore trees reaching upward into that blue.  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.  When I look up at the trees, particularly in the spring when their skeletons are showing, but they are also beginning to bud, it feels like more than just a cool view from nature. There are bones of hope and buds of promise there.  For me, there is something about the very act of tipping my head so that my eyes turn upward that is akin to prayer.  Painting...

Have you been wondering how my Open House event was? We left almost immediately afterward to travel, so I have not yet had the chance to share about it or to say THANK YOU to the friends who came! So much work went into being ready for guests, and now I am working on wrapping up paperwork and packing up paintings - some of them permanently. I have already completely used up two rolls of stretch wrap! Maybe you would like to see a collage of several of the works that were sold over the weekend -  I have to say I am grateful for each one that is in it's new home!  I do actually have a new larger painting underway, but I am stumped with my next step on it. It is based on Philippians 4:8 and was on my studio easel during the event. I have made progress, but my next step has me flummoxed!  Philippians 4:8 8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excell...

Sand and Palm Trees Here in northern Indiana, we are experiencing a preview of spring, and it has been delightful! The sun shining in my windows calls me to go outside and play, and it has been warm enough to wear a light jacket, or sometimes even skip a jacket all together. In spite of the appeal of this Indiana pre-spring, I still felt the pull to paint an even warmer place once again. There is just something about sand and palm trees that tugs at me just a little.  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 painted a sand-and-palm-tree painting in December, and have chosen to make this one quite similar in that I am using only a palette knife instead of brushes, and am using a very limited palette of colors. I love the feeling that I am looking down over the edge of a hill toward the water, and I especially like the tiny strip of sand in the distance where the land ju...

Ancient Hymn Isn't that sunlight spectacular? I have been working on the Open House pretty much non-stop in the last days, as you will have seen if you follow my social media. I would guess most of you are getting almost as tired of reading about it as I am of writing about it! But it sure has been a delight to see some of my older work that has been out of sight for a long time, and some of my newer work hanging in new places. This is my view this morning from my chair where I read my Bible. It really caught my attention when the sun hit the painting this way! Ancient Hymn 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 on my website. For a long time now, my Beloved Husband and I have been talking about downsizing. Well, this Open House is a step toward downsizing for us. I have many, many paintings currently hanging in our home, and a lot of them will be ...

From the Heart, 2019. Things are getting serious now, let me tell you! I am hanging work, ordering supplies, and doing lots of computer work, all trying to be prepared for my Open House Valentine's Day weekend.  James 1:17 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. 30" x 22" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper Click here to view on my website.  It is invigorating to do all of the preparation, but I sure do miss the studio time. I have a few works in progress, and I know my next steps on those paintings, and it is challenging to leave them and do what I have to do! But it's a good problem to have.  Our family's world/life has been spinning so fast this week, and I have discovered something a little surprising to me. I find that I am less anxious when I have more craziness going on......