An Artist and a Life Guided by God
Nicole Jennings

by Chris Fullerby
photos by Sunny Griffis

Emerging local artist Nicole Jennings recently had the honor of being chosen for Self, Observed, the first exhibition of art created and selected by college students ever displayed at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. A wife and mother of four, she recently returned to her art studies after several years away.

According to the NCMA, Self, Observed is a compelling look at how individuals see themselves and the world around them. Out of over 160 submissions, 41 works were selected from artists attending fourteen colleges across the country. The exhibition is being held adjacent to, and as a complement to the “Rembrandt in America” show at the NCMA.

Her work, Painting Me, captures an ordinary moment in an honest and thought-provoking way. Having grown up in a small Alabama town, Nicole never received formal art instruction until beginning her studies at Cleveland Community College in 1996. She grew up in a loving, Christian home, and had expectations of attending college. Then, in her senior year of high school, she learned that she was pregnant.

Along with the struggles of a teen pregnancy, Nicole had to face a new reality. “I was set to go to college, I was Beta Club President, President of everything, every club that there could be in that town,” Nicole says. “When I became pregnant with my daughter, I was basically asked to step down from all of those things. So, I had to deal with all of the things that were gratifying to me being taken away, not to mention the challenges that came from disappointing my family and friends.”

Rather than being defeated by the challenges she faced, Nicole met them with the help of God. “You learn at an early age about God’s grace, and how good He is, and how faithful He is,” she says. “He kept my husband and I together, although my mother would not allow us to get married until after I graduated from high school.” After graduation, Nicole and James were married, and James entered the US Navy. They were blessed with a second daughter about 15 months after the birth of their first child, and Nicole focused on motherhood. “I was determined to do that well,” she says, “I had a great family, and I had seen it modeled well. As much as I might have wanted to do other things, I felt like if I didn’t give that what it needed, then nothing else would go well for me.”

While her primary focus was on supporting her family, God’s call was strong. In 2002, she and James launched Redemption Faith Outreach Center in Spindale. “It was not easy, but God was good to us,” Nicole says. James and Nicole serve today as Senior Pastors of the church.

Over the years, the expression of her talent tended to take a back seat to other endeavors, such as supporting her family and building the church, but Nicole’s emergence as an artist and the attention her work has received has been very positive for her family. “It has been really thrilling for them, even more so than I had anticipated,” she says. “Once they saw that the talent, which they knew was there, was being recognized, and on such a grand scale, they were thrilled. They have been the best supporters that I could ever ask for.” In addition, Nicole says her mother is delighted as well. “It thrilled her to be able to say that her daughter was finally able to do the things that she had dreamed of doing.” 

The Self, Observed exhibition, along with “Rembrandt in America,” will be on display at the NCMA through January 22nd. Afterward, Nicole’s work, Painting Me, will be on display throughout 2012 at the Caswell Building in Raleigh. To learn more about Nicole’s work with Redemption Faith Outreach Center, visit the church online at www.freetoreign.org.