Brenda Stichter, artist

Bright Hope, 2022. You may notice I am sharing a couple of paintings you have seen before. I have a medium/large abstract painting (36” x 24”) on my easel that I thought was going to be finished in time to include with this week’s newsletter, but I just want to give it a little more time – some more careful looking and considering before I am sure it is finished.  Bright Hope, 2022. 48" x 18" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.8” deep gallery wrapped canvas Edges painted black Click here to view or purchase on my website.  Psalm 33:21-22 For our hearts rejoice in him because we trust in his holy name. May your faithful love rest on us, Lord, for we put our hope in you. These two paintings returned home after being exhibited for the last couple of months, and several other paintings went out to other exhibition opportunities. Right now our walls are relatively bare, with many unsold works being out in shows and competitions.  I am sure that some peop...

Paint What You Love Yesterday was Memorial Day, and it was such a gorgeous day for remembering those who have given their lives for freedom here in the United States. In the late afternoon, I got the chance to paint out near where my Beloved Husband was working in the shed. Since I felt like it had been too long since I had done any plein air painting, I wanted to start small, and paint something I love. This is another view of our pasture, with part of our woods in the background, and part of our neighbor's property too.  $72.00 plus shipping and handling 6" x 6" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper Ready to frame Click here to view or purchase on my website. It was such a treat to have the time together this weekend, with a chance to catch up on work around our own home. As I walked this morning in our woods, and looked at the freshly mowed pasture and branches that had been trimmed from overhangin...

Insight Gold was the first color on this canvas, and the entire surface was covered with it as a first paint layer. Though sometimes my first pigment carries words or shapes, or even leftover paint from other projects, I have recently been inspired by and wanted to try a metallic gold starting point. So I painted the whole surface gold while emphasizing the texture from the gesso layer, and applying the paint with varying textures and thicknesses to start building an interesting surface. 40" x 30" 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. Between painting that gold layer and the next step of the work, I had my feet knocked out from under me (figuratively speaking) by a social media post and subsequent phone calls. Incidentally, I keep telling myself I am going to stay away from social media, other than posting my work there, and I sure wish I would listen to myself...

Gotcha! This week has been spectacular weather for spring in northern Indiana, and I have loved being outside! I can tell quite a difference when my vitamin D (or I like to call it vitamin S for sunshine) is boosted, and that sun on my skin just changes my attitude dramatically.  $48.00 plus shipping and handling 6" x 4" x 3/4" deep Painted with the finest quality acrylic heavy-body paint on cradled wood panel I have had very enjoyable mornings walking in the woods, and painting en plein air this week too. But there has been one problem. I have been unable to capture the bright light of the sunrise coming through the spring woods in a way that I felt was even kind of close. I was up early, trying to photograph it. I was out for several hours trying to paint it, and I just could NOT get anything that felt right.  But today, I feel like this little abstract is close, so I am calling it Gotcha! I especially notice the way the light comes through the woods because there are ...

Old Orchard Minuet  I am looking out my window at the orchard full of blossoming fruit trees in our back yard with flower petals littering the grassy floor. To tell the truth, most of the trees don’t look very beautiful anymore. They lean heavily toward the south, and several are either missing large chunks of branches from last summer’s storms, or are not pruned well and have leggy branches and dead limbs that are scruffy looking. But, oh my goodness! These very old fruit trees bear some delicious fruit in the autumn!  20" x 16" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper Click here to view or purchase on my website. Today, all of the trees in the old orchard are dressed up in their spring finery. I am imagining them as old neighbors greeting one another: “Very fine blossoms this year, Mrs. Crabapple!” “Why, thank you, Grandfather Peach! You’re looking quite well in spite of it all, aren’t you?” “My, look how ...

Prayers & Promises, 2020   Well, what a delightful piece of news I have to share with you! My 2020 painting, Prayers & Promises, is a finalist in a national art competition, and will be published in a magazine celebrating acrylic painting!  "Congratulations! One or more of your images has been selected as a FINALIST by our special awards juror, Marcia Burtt, in our AcrylicWorks 10: The Best of Acrylic art competition. As a finalist, your artwork will be published in a special issue of Artists Magazine set to hit newsstands in September 2023." Well, I might be just a bit excited about that! Let me share with you, my blog readers and newsletter subscribers, a preview of  the caption that I sent in to be published with this painting.  Prayers & Promises Acrylic on canvas 36” x 36”  Since a blank white canvas can be paralyzing to face, I have begun "activating my canvas" with words of hope. The underpainting on this work, starting with that first layer o...