Brenda Stichter, artist

Swoop I can tell you all about the process of this painting, but you may have to tell me what meaning you see in it.  Maybe I was daydreaming, I am not sure, but I "saw" two birds swooping down behind tall grasses, and there was a cloud of colored blossoms in front of them. The birds actually were swooping around more like barn swallows do when they fly close to the ground when we are mowing. They were very, very fast, and they came close at very steep angles.  It is not at all obvious, but there are two birds here. One is just pretty much obliterated by the grasses.  There is an area of our back yard where my Beloved Husband planted a huge number of wildflowers for me this past spring, and they are growing tall and a little bit crazy on the edge between our mowed yard and our pasture. I think some of them are nearly 7' tall! I took some photos of that band of blossoms to help me with this painting.  It is not my usual process, but on this painting I painted from the...

Pink Mountains Yesterday I saw a quote on social media by an author whose work I enjoy. Sadly, I cannot remember which one! But the idea was something like this: When teaching someone to write, I tell them to write without planning or thinking it through, and with a time limit. The time limit gets them started, and often very good writing comes from this prompt.  (I know my words are clunky here - I sure wish I could find the original quote!) I used this idea to start this little painting. I decided to paint without a plan and to just start as if I had a time limit. It was a great starting point for me, and the resulting little work is a fun one.  4" x 4" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on cradled wood panel Edges painted black Click here to view on my website.

Color Swatches In preparation for an event, I am doing some paintings in different palettes than I usually do. I had color swatches to match, and it was a challenge that I don't often face trying to get my acrylic mix to disappear when I painted them on those little swatches! It was fun for me to work on it. Did you know that acrylic paint changes color (darkens) when it dries? So when you mix, it is important to make the mix lighter than you want the end result to be. I am really pleased with the way this particular piece has turned out.  12" x 12" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on canvas panel Ready to frame Click here to view on my website. The event that I am preparing for is a wedding and I have had my mind on weddings quite a bit, as a result. I recently started reading in the New Testament gospel of John, and one of Jesus' first public actions as recorded in John was to provide wine for a wedding. John 2:11 Jesus performed this first s...

Isn't She Lovely? This morning I went for a walk in the woods early, since it is supposed to get hot this afternoon. It is starting to show fall out there, and oh how I love it! I was intent on noticing beauty as I walked, and at least so far today, that pursuit is sticking with me. (As I type, I am watching a hummingbird at our feeder.) I saw intricate yellow and orange blossoms, sunlight hitting a tree trunk just so, and leaves starting to turn red (oak), and orange and yellow (sassafras). And then something more... I stopped because I felt the wind on my face, and I turned into it with my eyes closed to enjoy it. I stood in the sun, feeling the wind, and I heard  dry corn leaves rattling, and the gentle roar of wind high up in the leaves in the trees. As I neared the house, I thought of trying to find other beauty that was not primarily visual, and so I picked some leaves from a couple of varieties of mint plants to smell, and then I went to our lilac bushes and reached for the ...

How Sweet it Is painted at Sweetwater, en plein air Won a prize and sold! This past weekend was a large paint out in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and I got to participate and completed paintings every day of the event. It was surprising, and delightful to receive an award for one of my paintings, and to learn that it sold to an executive of the company I represented in my work! I still feel like I am finding my own voice in representational painting, so this was very encouraging to me.   Some still available, contact me for info. Electric Boogie en plein air at the VS Huguenard Gallery 12" x 12" acrylic on panel simple frame I Can See Clearly Now en plein air at the 122nd Fighter Wing Memorial 8" x 16" acrylic on panel simple frame (regular price $250) I Hear the Train a'Comin' en plein air at St Francis University 12" x 9" acrylic on panel simple frame (regular price $215) The Things We Do For Love en plein air at Freimann Square 12" x 12" acryl...

Breaking News What a beautiful sunrise we had the other morning! Twice I was caught by it as it changed, and I wanted to find a way to paint it very simply in order to share the glory I saw out my window. It fit right in with my daily Bible reading, too. I read this from Ephesians. Ephesians 5:8-10  For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light—  for the fruit of the light results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth—  discerning what is pleasing to the Lord.  12" x 12" 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 painted two paintings of this sunrise; one is 12" x 12" and the other is 4" x 4". I have been working on being expressive in my more representational paintings and yet keeping my work simple and finding a "new voice" for modern landscape painting. I think it may be too big a task fo...

Glade What a delightful weekend we had! We had a trip to northern Michigan on the agenda in order to drop off my painting that has been accepted into the Great Northern Art Explosion. We got to visit our beautiful daughter on the way to and from, since she lives about halfway there. And on the way, I received an email telling me that my painting in the  Acrylic International Biennial Juried Exhibition was awarded a prize! This was completely unexpected in this highly competitive exhibit, which is on display in the Kenosha Public Museum in Wisconsin. I am so grateful.  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.  Glade is a return to my little 4" square palette knife painting practice. As I have mentioned before, these little ones are a good way to return to the studio when I have been unable to paint in a while.  Evidently, it is difficult to discov...