Brenda Stichter, artist

Village Art Fair en plein air   Somehow or other, I always find it challenging to get started at a plein air event. I am not sure what it is that makes me hesitant to get going, but usually a good bit of time has passed before I am actually painting! This time was no different for me.  8" x 16" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on canvas panel Framed in simple, natural wood frame Coming soon to my website. Our weekend paint out coincided with the Village Art Fair, and also with the Farmers' Market that happen in the quaint community of Winona Lake, IN. The art fair has long been an event I enjoy in the summer, and I participated for many years by having my own booth there. The farmers' market draws my Beloved Husband and me for breakfast many Saturday mornings. The Northern Indiana Plein Air Painters had a booth at the fair, and we members were encouraged to attend and participate by doing plein air paintings in the area, so for my first paintin...

Winona Lake Bike Trails en plein air, framed Day one, painting number two, and I was hot and tired! Can you tell? I hope you can't, but I sure can tell when I look at this one. Probably it is more that I remember being so shot by this time.  7" x 5" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on canvas panel Simple white frame Coming soon to my website. One of the huge benefits of painting near home is that I already know some of the beautiful places nearby. This is a very popular area for walking and biking in the area. The walking trail is paved and slightly hilly, and there are sculptures along the way. It is also wooded, so it stays cooler than some areas. I especially like the welcoming gateway from earlier days when the property belonged to a boys club from Chicago - I think it is very picturesque.  I am not sure whether it is cheating or not, but I painted from our van for this plein air work. It was only sort of outdoors -  it was not in my studio, th...

Happy 250th Birthday USA! en plein air At the end of the plein air painting event, those of us who were participating were to be at our tent at the art fair in order to turn in our final paintings and have them judged, though it was a very unstructured and laid back event. The days had gotten progressively hotter and more humid, so when we found a good parking spot near the tent area, and a bit of decent shade there, we took a lunchtime break there. I decided to try to find something that I wanted to paint right there.  7" x 5" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on canvas panel Simple white frame Coming soon to my website. All weekend I had had the idea to commemorate the birthday of our nation in some way, but had not found anything I wanted to paint along those lines. Well actually, I had found something - there was a military plane fly-over that was SO COOL, but it did not sit still long enough for me to paint, of course. Finally, while collapsing in ...

Morning Light en plein air   Morning Light en plein air was by far my favorite painting from this most recent plein air adventure, and it was also the most fun to paint. And, of course, it didn't hurt any that it won a merit award at the event!  14" x 11" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on canvas panel Simple natural wood frame Painting is currently available through a gallery - contact me if you are interested in purchasing.  Click here to view on my website. Painted on the second day of the paint out, it was inspired by gorgeous color in the wooded bike trail area, with the sun backlighting a good part of the view. A stone and concrete edged stream passed in front of me, and I had a little area of flat ground to stand on as I painted.  I was so grateful that my Beloved Husband came with me for the entire weekend of painting this time! E ven though he is always willing to be my "artist support staff",  I usually encourage him to do othe...

View in the Rain Now this one... this one was the most challenging painting of the weekend. I had found a view I loved after much driving around, though I passed it by the first time. It took far too long getting back to it, since I was lost! It was another public access site along one of the conservancy trails, but it was pretty far out from where everyone else was painting.  11" x 14" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on canvas panel Framed in simple black frame Click here to view or purchase on my website.  I had a slow start on Saturday morning, and I guess all of us who were painting did. It was raining on my way to the paint out, but was predicted to stop soon. As it turns out, the weather people are not exactly 100% accurate, in case you have been wondering. It either drizzled, sprinkled, or outright rained until around 3:30 in the afternoon, and then was just... damp. And chilly. Well, in spite of the morning weather, I got back to my site and g...

Ancient Oak The last painting of the weekend (I will get back to the third one in a little while) started out as a bit of a dilemma for me. I had found a great parking spot, and did not want to move my car, so I wanted to find something that inspired me nearby.  8" x 16" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on panel Framed in simple, natural wood frame Click here to see or purchase on my website.  I did find this beautiful old oak tree, but it was hiding amidst lots of landscaping and structures. The tree was very tall, and had evidently had branches trimmed for many years, because the naked trunk was much taller than I would have expected it to be. But the upper part of the tree was just beautiful. I decided I wanted to paint the tree, but give it back some of its dignity! So I took away the long trunk, the structures, and the busy landscaping around it.  Some teenaged girls came along as I was working and asked if they could see what I was painting. ...

Sweet Old Houseboat My second painting on Friday was of this vintage houseboat that sits near the end of the public boardwalk in a conservancy area. She looks a little forlorn, and I was told that racoons have gotten into her and made a mess. How sad. She makes me dream...  11" x 14" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on canvas panel Click here to view or purchase on my website.  After what had seemed like an adventurous morning, it was pleasant to sit in the grass along the trail and paint, with the sun coming out mid-afternoon. But soon after I started working on this one, I found myself very bored with what I was painting. Believe me, that doesn't happen very often! I was SO bored, that I took a brush full of paint and just splashed it all over my start. And there it was! I found the interest that I had lost, and chose to change my composition and style just a bit. I really enjoyed working on it once I had loosened myself up a bit. And it was plea...

Hook, Line, and Sinker   My first completed painting for the weekend's plein air painting event was Hook, Line, and Sinker.  8" x 16" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on panel Framed in simple, natural wood frame Click here to view on my website. The evening before the paint out event, my Beloved Husband and I drove up to the area where I would be finding painting locations. I had been checking out my maps, and had my eye on a public access on a small area lake called Shock Lake. We drove to the site, and I thought it would serve me well. When I arrived there on Friday morning, there were two fishermen out in their boat, and one fishing from the dock. Though I felt a little like an intruder, I set up my kit and started to paint.  It was windy at the lake, and I kept reminding myself to keep a foot on the leg of the stand for the pochade box, but I guess I forgot anyway. Partway through the painting, DISASTER! Everything blew over and crashed to the...

Against the Faintly Lavender Sky I have been reading more  again  lately, and I recommend it! T o my dismay,  I had found myself going to my phone for beauty and inspiration, and it is very unsatisfying. (Not to mention, addicting.) And honestly, I have so many books I want to read! My art book stack is enormous, and I find so much help and inspiration in those pages.  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.  Yesterday I finished reading Re-digging Art’s Foundations: Essays on Gospel and Art , by David Thistlethwaite. I really loved this book, though it was challenging reading at times. It may be that I have let my college/post-college reading level slip a bit, you know? There are hot-pink colored-pencil highlights on at least half of the pages, I would say, and I want to revisit the book while the concepts are still percolating in my mind....

Green Morning Light The next in my tiny representational paintings is a view of the spring green that I see when the sun shines through the leaves and trees in the woods. I hope you already knew that from seeing the painting! Every spring, this view catches my breath, and I have tried so many times to capture its beauty. I think this is a pretty good suggestion of it, but nothing quite does the green morning light justice.  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.  I find the landscape itty-bitties, that are mostly done with palette knife, very quieting. I have 10 or so now, and I love painting them, and I love seeing them grouped on our mantel above the fireplace! They are kind of daily reminders - like a painted journal, of sorts.  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 ...

Somehow or Other I really like order. Being home, boring schedules, quiet time. These last weeks have had very little of that! I told you last week that the family business had been sold. Also, as I mentioned, as we prepared for the sale, my Beloved Husband and I took a bunch of trips in the flatbed, shuffling masonry products here and there. While those trips were so delightful, they were interruptions in studio time, and tough physically as the big truck rattled over the miles! Somehow or other, during the chaos of that time, I was able to finish this painting.  This is a "paint-over" - a reclaiming of a painting that was still in my storage that I have held for a long time. I allowed the original work to show through in places, and accentuated parts where it needed it. It has suggestions of a grid composition and a cruciform structure. Kind of like time (calendar) and eternity. It's main color scheme is complementary, with blue and orange being most obvious. The first ...

Ooh, Spring Greens! It has been a doozy of a week around here! So many adjustments being made and changes coming our way - my head is spinning on some days.  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.  The time has finally arrived to let you know one of our big changes. The family-owned company that my Beloved Husband has been employed by is changing hands. The new owner is starting to pick up the reins, and will have the help of most of the current employees, and it looks to be a very positive transition. But it is a B I G transition for us, and for other family members who will be moving on to other pursuits. We are not sure what all to expect from the changes, but we know the timing is right and we anticipate such good things! ______ This spring, I have just been mesmerized by the greens all around me! I think I may have written about that several weeks ago, but it conti...

Buildups Across the Pasture I think I have a new go-to in my studio. When I feel like I need to paint a little bit more representationally, I am loving painting on these little 4" x 4" cradled wood panels! Whether it is a palette knife painting, like this one, or brush or other tools, these just fit the bill for me sometimes.  4" x 4" Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep cradled wood panel Edges (will be) painted black Click here to view on my website.  It has been a remarkably full week. Over the weekend, I went to my first official paint out of this year at a beautiful state park about 90 minutes' drive from my home. Our intended focus was the stunning Eastern Redbud trees, which were in full bloom. The park was full of the magenta trees, and the day was pleasant, though chilly and cloudy. I completed two paintings, but was not happy with either one, so I will be painting over them... maybe at the upcoming paint event this weekend!...

Exit the Traffic Circle Well, let that be a lesson to me! Earlier today, before allowing myself to get so distracted, I knew just what I wanted to say about this painting. And now I am stuck as I try to remember, so this may be a very scattered blog post! My gut says I wanted to express the swirling doubts, the crazy backdrop of life as I /people live it these days. But how does it pull together? 22" x 28" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper Ready to frame Click here to view on my website. For one thing, the painting makes me feel a tiny bit claustrophobic. But also, there are things that show that an artist painted it, not a 6 year old. The repetition in all quadrants, the cruciform or grid composition, the curves and colors in all quadrants.  The row of 5 squares draws the eye as the focal point, even if it is not in it's usual placement. Hmm. Not in it's usual placement.  It is so very busy t...

A Touch of Spring I just got back inside after taking a walk in my woods - the first one in weeks! It has been so wet here, and part of the trail has been under water. I have enjoyed my walks in other places, (including my treadmill where I have been watching Hogan's Heroes reruns - what fun!), but there is just nothing quite like my own woods. Over the years, I have become very familiar with the whole 8 or 10 acres that is part of our property, but today it seemed somewhat unfamiliar. Every spring seems to bring new things there, but this year... 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 do think that the huge gash that was cut into the woods a couple of years ago (due to an easement) is beginning to impact the whole plot in different ways; some are helpful and some not so much. But on the positive side, the single dogwood tree back there was glorious today! This i...

Abstracted River View The other day, I went to paint en plein air again, and started painting a lovely river scene. It was absolutely beautiful outside, with blue skies and puffy clouds and a lot of wind. (I had to keep my toe on the stand so that my painting wouldn't blow over.) Just a short time into my painting time, I heard a noise... then again... thunder! I was thankful to be near a place of shelter, and quickly started moving inside. But then I had to try to finish my painting without seeing the river in front of me, and that just did not work! I did my best to finish, but was not happy with the resulting painting, so I decided to paint over it.  I had been wanting to try to paint a completely abstracted landscape from life or from a photo, and I decided this was a good opportunity. And honestly, I love the result.  7" x 5" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on canvas panel Ready to frame  Click here to view on my website. Philippians 4:4 Rejo...

Reflecting Our area in northern Indiana has seen some significant flooding in this last week or two. It has caused some of the places where I like to walk to be closed and has made some roads impassable, and some homes have water issues.  This painting was inspired by a photo from a walk my Beloved Husband and I took a few weeks ago in a nearby county where there is a relatively easy walk back to a dam on a (usually) small river. It is one of our favorite places to walk. We haven't checked it in the last few days - I wonder if it is flooded too! 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.  This is another very small palette knife painting. I have been enjoying working so small, and working with the knife because it helps me to suggest a landscape without getting too persnickety about mark making and detail. I love to paint enough to be "representational" while ...

Lellow Flowehs This morning I shared a photo of this painting, asking for input, and I received the sweetest reply! "Lellow Flowehs," and "I have it on good authority that that is a picture of flowers and trees and it's a nice picture." A little three-year-old person, who I have never met, is evidently a brilliant art critic! Ha! I think highly of their perspicacity, don't you? 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. 

Those Rays Though! It has been a very busy couple of weeks around here, and I finally had a painting day! One thing about that though, and I may have told you this before, is that it is so difficult to get back into the flow of painting when I have been out of the studio. This morning, I varnished a painting, entered a competition and show, looked over another couple of competitions that I may be entering, updated my expenses sheet... all kinds of busy work, BUT I WASN'T PAINTING. I think all of those things are valuable, but I really wanted to be painting.  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.  Finally, I decided that I would have to start with something easy and appealing, so I chose to paint two tiny landscape paintings. (I am only sharing one today, until I decide whether I will be adding anything to the other one before sharing.) This little palette knife pai...

Before the Rocks Cry Out Here is another tiny painting, and here is the Scripture passage for the title.  Luke 19:40  He answered, “I tell you, if they were to keep silent, the stones would cry out!” 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.  Today I "met" a new musician (through a podcast) by the name of John Van Deusen. Makers & Mystics is a podcast I used to listen to religiously, but have recently let go of, so it was a delight to find something I loved so much as I listened. I was so drawn to the musician during his interview that I looked up some of his music, and I shared it with my musician son.  As the podcast conversation progressed, I was struck by how much the artist loves Jesus, and yet his music does not fit into a typical "Christian music" mold. At all. I really loved that.  He talked about liking his own work, and about making music ...