Brenda Stichter, an abstract artist based in Warsaw, is the guest artist at the Southside Art League’s Off Broadway Gallery this month, where her work will be on display through Oct. 31.
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Each piece has a story.
Behind the vivid, soothing colors, the expansive forms and the engaging textures is an inspiration that motivated Warsaw artist Brenda Stichter. Maybe it was a wild rose spotted on a morning walk or the return of a loved one.
Inevitably, each abstract painting connects to a Bible verse — a showing of the role Stichter’s faith plays in the creative process.
“I hope people want to ask questions. Each my works, on the tag, has a little bit of the story behind the piece, and a QR code they can scan with their phones that will take them to the blog post explaining each painting,” she said. “I try to build a bridge of understanding for people who don’t understand abstract art or don’t have any connection.”
For the past 14 years, Stichter has been putting her thoughts into expressive abstract paintings. The works have given her a vehicle to express an overall hope in the world, in a way she never had been able to previously.
She is the featured artist this month at the Southside Art League, and her work is now featured at the group’s Off Broadway Gallery in Greenwood throughout October.
“I hope people gain an understanding that abstract art can be beautiful and tell a good story. A lot of abstract art is not beautiful and has a dark story to tell; mind doesn’t do that. I want them to ask a question and try to find the answer,” she said.
The seeds of each of Stichter’s paintings starts in a different way, though it nearly always stems from her faith.
As she’s doing her daily Bible reading, something will strike her — a phrase or a principal. That’s when she knows it’s time to get her thoughts on canvas.
Stichter starts with a focus on composition, color theory and principles of art. She chooses the tools and concepts which she thinks will communicate her ideas in the most interesting and beautiful way, she said.
“It makes it a fun process, and it surprises me along the way,” she said. “It’s something that kind of feeds your soul, that you love to look at and keeps surprising you.”
Art has always been a part of Stichter’s life. She grew up creating different works, and as she enrolled in college at University of Northwestern — St. Paul, her father encouraged her to pursue a kind of art as a career.
“He said to me, ‘You know, you’ll always be doing art. Why don’t you get a degree in commercial art? You can make a living with that, then study whatever you want to,’” she said.
That ended up being the plan. Stichter earned a bachelor’s degree in commercial art and worked in advertising. But art was set to the side after her children were born, where it stayed until 2010, when she rediscovered her creative spark.
She started painting every day in her home studio in Warsaw, starting with representational paintings of landscapes. But then some friends commissioned her to do an abstract painting.
“I had no idea how to do that. So I started researching how you do a good abstract painting, and I found that I absolutely loved abstract painting,” she said.
For Stichter, the style was freeing, unleashing the full breadth of her imagination.
“I can paint things there are no words or pictures for. Like ‘hope’ — you could represent that, you could show someone doing something bringing hope. But I wanted to just paint the concept. I felt like I could do that, and I could communicate, even though there were no figures or recognizable objects in my paintings,” she said. “I love to be able to communicate in that way.”
At that point the painting itself almost always takes over, and part of her joy as an artist comes from responding to what she sees on the canvas.
As her artistic journey has unfolded, Stichter has found success for much of her work. She is a member of the Lakeland Art Association in Warsaw, the Fort Wayne Artists Guild, the Hoosier Salon, and was named a Hoosier Woman Artist in 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
She has been awarded the BoldBrush Award for abstract, BoldBrush first place for abstract, and the BoldBrush third place for abstract. Stichter has been juried into the Hoosier Salon, the Acrylic International Biennial Juried Exhibit, and the Southside Art League National Abstract Art Exhibit.
Through the National Abstract Art Exhibit, she was offered the opportunity to be a guest artist at the Southside Art League.
“This past year, Bev Mathis (organizers of Southside Art League exhibitions saw my piece when she was taking some people through the exhibit. She contacted me and asked if I’d be willing to do a show. I haven’t had a lot of art shown in Indianapolis to this point, so it’s an opportunity,” she said.
Stichter’s art will hang through Oct. 31. An artist reception is planned for 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11. Light refreshments will be served.
AT A GLANCE
Brenda Stichter exhibition
What: A showcase of innovative abstract painting by Stichter, a Warsaw-based artist.
When: Through Oct. 31
Where: Southside Art League Off Broadway Gallery, 299 E. Broadway St., Greenwood
Gallery hours: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday
Reception: Stichter will host an open house reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11. Light refreshments will be served.
