Catching up with Jennifer Geletzke

Over the past year since my interview last year, I have continued homeschooling my children two days a week, teaching art at their Classical school two days a week and trying to dedicate that one last day to my art practice.  Many weeks, it gets shoved to the side as other things take precedence.  I have let the business side of my practice fall away for now.  It has been a hard year of mourning my time to create, but also seeing the fruit of my child rearing.  They are worthy of my time now and I am so grateful for all the days that we get to spend together. I firmly believe that God handed me my job as an art teacher and I am grateful for that as well.  We can mourn and give thanks and have joy all at the same time. 

About six months ago, I had an image of a vessel come to my mind during a church service and saw my water/line work filling the vessel in the same way that the Holy Spirit has come to dwell inside all who believe in Jesus Christ. I began creating stencils of Greek vessels and am now working on the individual drawings.  It is slow going with limited time to work and it’s hard to stick with a body of work when new ideas are always coming, but I know that these will be beautiful when they come to fruition.  I am looking forward to seeing them all together. 

Aside from my “Indwelling” series, I am attempting to complete the #100dayproject with some failure, but I am committed to continue these small sketches in the cracks of time that I spend waiting for my children at piano lessons, sports, or during homeschooling while they are working at my side. 

I am also continuing work on my mountain pieces. I had the privilege of completing a commission of a mountain range in Utah this year and I have just completed a painting of Yosemite that is currently being displayed at a church event held at David’s Tent on the National Mall. 

This year is about baby steps in my practice and keeping it moving forward, because in the future, I will have more time than I do now.  Everything we make counts and adds us.