Brenda Stichter, artist

Lavender Ground Fog Last fall, I was volunteering at a cooperative gallery space in Fort Wayne. One of the perks of working in that kind of space is that you can bring along any kind of project you want to do. I brought along my phone which is stuffed with inspiring photos, and my plein air painting gear. The other worker had his painting supplies too, so we both had the chance to work on paintings. (He was actually painting with water soluble oil paints, and very generously let me play with them to see whether I like them. I do, but not as much as I like my acrylic paints.)  I am still not used to, nor comfortable with, people being anywhere near me when I paint, so it was a challenge for me to focus on painting!   $160.00 plus shipping and handling 8" x 10" 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. My plein air kit has only a few colors of paint, ...

Almost Forgotten Although I posted this painting on my social media channels last week, I had not yet added it to my blog nor my website. My Beloved Husband and I caught this view on a road trip. The painting ended up quite a bit more representational than I like (again). $350.00 plus shipping and handling 16" x 12" 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. Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted  and saves the crushed in spirit. Matthew 11:28 - 30  28 “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” I am just so struck with the beauty of this dilapidated, forgotten place, and it makes me think of how God can take our broken, discouraged, dilapidated hearts ...

 There is a quote  about spring  in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis: " And when he [Aslan] shakes his mane, we shall have spring again." And in The Screwtape Letters , "He [meaning God] gives them the seasons, each season different yet every year the same, so  that spring is always felt as a novelty yet always as the recurrence of an  immemorial theme."  When I posted this painting on social media, I had this to say about it: " Hoosier spring is redbuds in bloom, lilacs, mushroom hunting, lime green trees against aqua skies... it's rejuvenation and hope." And I didn't even mention the dogwood trees, violets, dandelions, and so much more. I would never have called spring my favorite season, but maybe it is. The riot of spectacular color - especially the spring green with the purple and magenta blossoms - just satisfies something in my soul! $215.00 plus shipping and handling 12 " x 9" Painted with artist quality heav...

More Better The other day I started a post about this painting thinking it was finished. But after looking quite a bit more, I knew it was not, in fact, finished. NOW, (I think) it is finished! This is one of those paintings that has so much texture, and so much iridescence that I wish you were seeing it in person.  30" 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. This is the verse from the New Testament that grounded this painting, by which I mean the words of the verse were part of the first layers of paint on the canvas.  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 troubled or fearful." My original direction for the painting was to paint borders around most of the words and fill each area with different color and texture and glimmer. But I felt that it expressed "trouble...

Fish 1-5-3  Well, this one is quite a bit different from anything I have painted before, wouldn't you say? I have been pushing pretty hard so far this year with my work, and so I once again have quite a few canvases and panels underway in my studio. 8 of them, if I am counting properly. And of those, only three are at the very beginning stage of the first layer of paint. The other five all are in progress. Whew! $1400.00 plus shipping and handling 24" x 36" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on canvas Click here to view or purchase on my website. John 21:11 Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.  I had been reading in the New Testament book of John, and knew I wanted to paint about this verse from the last chapter. I know that seems like an odd verse to be inspired by, but I couldn't help but notice the specific number of fish that were caught...