Brenda Stichter, artist

A Pure Heart The thoughts that have been on my mind lately have once again showed up in my work - almost unplanned this time. I am not sure I will be able to put my thoughts into words that make sense, but I feel that the emotion in the painting speaks loudly.  I have been thinking about living a pure life, about having a pure heart, and about kindness and love. I have been reading in the New Testament book of Titus and there are several calls to purity and kindness in this book.  Titus 1:15 To the pure, everything is pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; in fact, both their mind and conscience are defiled. When I painted this, my mom was also on my mind. She has been a beautiful and pure influence in my life, and the love between her and my dad was an example to be followed. She is one of the older women that are mentioned in Titus who are teaching younger women how to live pure lives. (Also, I was pretty sure she would like the burnt...

New Every Morning #26   Have I told you about an exhibit I 'curated' for the gallery space at the church we attend? It is a photography exhibit of sky photos (taken by people who attend there) showing how God's glory and artistry is shown in the sky. It is such a nice exhibit. This painting reminds me of the exhibit, and of how His glory is declared New Every Morning - and evening.  6" x 6" Painted with the finest quality acrylic heavy-body paint on Art Bite panel Ready to frame Click here to purchase via my website. Lamentations 3:21-23 (ESV) But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

New Every Morning #25  Once again, I want to share from today's Instagram post.  "This one started with mowing the grass. The pattern is one of the things I like about mowing our big yard- long, straight(ish) lines and crisscrosses. Today is another anniversary of loss for me. It seems I run into one of those every few days, and I suppose that happens with age. I suppose, too, that it is part of the pattern of life- long straight(ish) stretches, and crisscrosses. Thankful GOD's mercies are  #neweverymorning . " But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:21‭-‬23 ESV SOLD 6" x 6" Painted with the finest quality acrylic heavy-body paint on hand-made, prepared wood panel Ready to frame Click here to view on my website.

Let the Little Children Come II  Earlier this year an email came to me with the subject line "...possibly fun project, if you are interested..." It came from the curator of the gallery at rua, where I had a very enjoyable and successful exhibit last year, and he was inviting me to participate in a charity event. I am delighted to share that I am participating in Raise the Brush, an art exhibit and auction with proceeds going to assist those who are fundraising for adoption.  SOLD 40" x 30" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep gallery wrapped canvas Click here to see on my website. Bouncing balls, twirling skirts, spinning tops, blowing bubbles, hula hoops, bike wheels/pedals; can you see them here? I thought about so many things as I started working on the concept for this painting, and eventually came to a New Testament passage from the Gospel of Mark that talks about Jesus with children. His disciples didn't seem to see ...

   Swimmer warm-up Once again, I am working on a more representational painting! I got permission to use a photo reference from one of my first college roommates, Lisa. She  posted a snapshot she had taken and talked about it on social media, and it struck a chord with me! When I paint the final version of the work, I will share her post, but for now, I am really enjoying working on it.  7ish" x 22ish"  One side cut, 3 sides deckle edges Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on acid-free watercolor paper Ready to frame Click here to purchase via my website. I can envision this trimmed down and framed, or maybe just framed, and hanging near my mirror, or in a changing room at a pool or beach. This person in her swimsuit holds my respect and admiration. (Can you tell?) Painting the final version will be a delight!  I Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always!

New Every Morning #24 A quick post this afternoon to share the painting I shared on Instagram ( brendakaypaintings ). As I mentioned there, I had fully intended to add an abandoned building to this landscape, but I am choosing to keep it sparse, at least for now.  I really love the greens and the textures in the grass.  The feeling of a sparse, abandoned, forgotten place in an empty landscape was the original intent, but this little painting is sweet as it is.  6" x 6" Painted with the finest quality acrylic heavy-body paint on panel Ready to frame Click here to purchase via my website. The sorrowful news over the weekend of more people being shot to death in our country brings added significance to my painting, but more so to the Scripture verses on which the series is based.  Lamentations 3:21‭-‬23 ESV But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new ev...

New Every Morning #23  "Paint something pretty," said my Beloved Husband as he left this morning before the sun was up. He knows how tricky it can be to balance marketing/paperwork, family responsibilities, homemaking, and "arting". It is a sure sign of his love for me that he encourages me to do my painting. Especially today, when our yard really needs to be mowed... NLA 6" x 6" Painted with the finest quality acrylic heavy-body paint on Art Bite panel Ready to frame The mornings lately have been beautiful and mostly clear and bright. The temperatures have been moderate and one just could not really ask for nicer weather. But clear, beautiful skies don't inspire my warm-up paintings like storms or other weather conditions do. Interestingly, as I worked on this painting that is part of my New Every Morning series, I noticed that without the dark values, the painting is nowhere near as interesting or compelling.  I realize that this...