When Jenny Eickbush started college, she thought she was destined to be a Broadway star. She won the National High School Musical Theater Award her senior year, then earned a full scholarship to major in musical theater in college. The young performer was all set to achieve her dreams.
But then her dreams changed. During college, Eickbush realized that being on stage wasn’t what she wanted to do with her life. Instead, she helped behind the scenes.
“I don’t think that I want to audition to be on the stage this summer,” Eickbush told one of her theater contacts, “but would you let me pick up a brush and paint some of the sets?”
The rest was history. “I absolutely loved it. And I’ve been painting ever since.”
Childhood Love Becomes Passion
Painting sets brought Eickbush, a Kansas City resident, back to her childhood, when she often painted. As a young girl, she painted her emotions, which were simple at the time. But the concept of turning invisible feelings into art stayed with her.
“Being able to take something invisible like that and make something that you can look at with your eyes is really cool,” she says. “And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve leaned more into taking invisible, powerful things like faith and spirituality and mental health and making something to look at.”
There’s a transfer from hand to heart that goes into the work that you can really feel
Now, Eickbush does fine art and illustration. She has displayed and sold her art all around Kansas City at galleries and festivals. On the illustration side, her work has been on book covers, board games, and even beer labels.
Whether working in acrylics, watercolor, ink or colored pencils, Eickbush finds joy in creating art by hand. In a world where art is increasingly digital and artificial, she says there’s something special about physical art.
“There’s a transfer from hand to heart that goes into the work that you can really feel,” she says.
Overcoming Lies Through Scripture-Based Art
Eickbush’s passion for art also stems from its ability to help people process and heal from difficult experiences. The artist did both in a recent local gallery show. Her show, titled “Who You Say I Am,” explored lies she believed in her teens and early 20s. Each painting confronted those lies with Bible verses that show the truth.
Eickbush shares that she was in “a dark place” for a while during that time in her life.
“Because I had experienced so much early success, I felt like, am I walking away from God’s plan for my life? Am I throwing away all of the opportunities and blessings that I’ve been given? And oh my gosh, did I peak in high school?”
Now, she channels those past experiences into her paintings.
One piece featured in her recent exhibition, titled “Plans I Have for You,” shows a woman wearing a dress with the words of Jeremiah 29:11 written across it. The woman is surrounded by butterflies, which Eickbush says represent opportunities and blessings.0
We can find the courage to relinquish our own plans and our own fears…
“We can find the courage to relinquish our own plans and our own fears and just trust that the Lord has a plan of good for our lives,” Eickbush says.
The artist looks back and sees God at work in her life, which she now gets to express through her art.
“Now I’m able to channel [that struggle] into something beautiful to spread messages of how amazing His love is.”
READ: Christian pilgrimage follows art across Europe
Art as Evangelism
“Who You Say I Am” was Eickbush’s first display that was entirely Christian. She says that combining her faith and her artistic talent in that way has been “really rewarding.”
The gallery is one example of how Christians can use their gifts to share the gospel beyond face-to-face evangelizing. Eickbush believes that displaying faith through artwork can serve two purposes. It acts as a reminder for us, but it also can be a conversation starter. Someone might see it and reveal that they are also a Christian, or they might ask you why you are one.
Ultimately, Eickbush demonstrates the power of both art and faith to make peace with past hurts.
“When we can take something painful and use that as an expression of love and triumph,” she says, “not only can that heal ourselves, but those kinds of stories can heal those around us as well.”
Eickbush is active on social media. If you want to see more of her work, follow her on Facebook or Instagram, or go to her website.
To see her art in person, you can go to one of her upcoming shows. On August 28, 2026, she will be featured in the Downtown Lee’s Summit Art Walk. Early next month, September 4-6, you can find her art at KC Irish Fest.
–Lyra Thompson
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