THANKS for doing that

When Words Aren't Enough: Storied Art That Holds Out Hope

• Heather Winchell • Season 2 • Episode 35

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Northern Colorado artist Jessica Kuddes (JMK) creates one-of-a-kind paintings that feel like windows into redemption—visual “spiritual landscapes” that hold out hope when life is hard. In this conversation, we talk about protected margin, art born from grief, and why imagery can carry us when words can’t. 

She challenges my conviction that play doh should never be mixed (but really, how many shades of brown can you make?!?) and talks about how early influences shaped her belief that she is an artist and using that gift matters.

In this episode:

  • Jessica Kuddes (JMK) shares how protected margin has shaped both her family life and her creative work
  • The early influences that formed her as an artist—from color-mixing with Play-Doh to mentors who named her gifts before she believed them
  • Why much of her art begins with asking God for a picture of a “spiritual landscape”
  • How grief and trauma transformed her relationship with creativity—and why imagery can carry us when words can’t
  • A behind-the-scenes look at a commissioned painting that became a lived reminder of the both/and nature of life
  • The core values behind her work: connection, hope, beauty, and trust that God multiplies small acts of faith
  • How writing becomes necessary when an idea is “too complex for a two-dimensional image”
  • The story of a Philippians 3–inspired piece that unexpectedly accompanied a friend through betrayal and rebuilding
  • Why Jessica believes hope doesn’t erase pain—but meets us inside it

Mentioned in the episode:

Catch more of the story @thanks.for.doing.that.podcast!