I think about what follows often and feel I need to tell you how constantly inspiring I find you a woman teacher and fellow artist. Your accumulated knowledge and articulation in this vast subject ART amazes me, and the generous spirit with which you share the wonder of it with us all is staggering.
Your professionalism is to be admired also. I feel so fortunate to have you as my teacher and mentor. Your gift of teaching greatly influences all your students. I marvel at how my view of art, culture, and society has deepened and developed. I could not have imagined all this when I started out at art classes years ago just wanting to paint a picture that I could hang on my wall and not be embarrassed about.
Your influence and continuing encouragement has lead me from my role as a former teacher, full-on mother and part-time employee into a new identity as an artist, as my children grow into independent young adults, giving me something very special and fulfilling for "me". Menopause won't be the change for me....THIS has been the change!! Your skilled yet gently persuasive, and may I say clever way of helping us develop our skills and ideas, encouraging us to be brave enough to act on them and to encourage us to form support networks for each other as artists is very much appreciated. The opportunity I have of attending your studio class is something I value highly. soooooo...big thank you for everything.
Pamela |
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Jena taught me how to say the "a" word about myself in public, (artist… as in I am an artist) and after some time I have found I am able to say it to complete strangers.
Leslie |
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Guidance, inspiration, information, challenge, fun and mischief…
Steven Champeron
After a long break from being in the habit of art-making, Jena helped me to renew my self-belief as an artist. Jena continues to guide me as I re-educate myself in the visual arts and find my own place within it. Thank you!
Laney
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Every now and then you meet someone who inspires your life makes you reach for higher goals and helps make everything make sense. I was lost before I began working with Jena. I knew I wanted to be creative but I did not know how or what I wanted to do, with Jena’s help I was able to focus in on my passions as she says and develop them into art works that reflects who I am. I have now gone on to exhibit and sell…my work and am now setting higher goals for myself, in terms of exhibiting overseas… I feel like I’m home in myself now
Nichole Stein
Jena’s unique way of working with us al as individuals, focusing on each of our areas of interest was inspiring to watch…she’s a ball of passion and enthusiasm for art… so creative how she teaches…wow!
Christine Spieling
Jena’s style of teaching and the clarity she offers around creating an art practice made me able to push on with my art goals and I was able to start making finished and focused work after only a very short time. With Jena’s help I especially learnt how to research and ‘juice up’ my practice so that I could get things flowing…I now think, work and act like an artist, that is I make ART!!
thank you very much
Jacinta Woodward
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I am on the other side, and I don't remember how I got there.
If you want to go somewhere with your art practice and don't know where to start. Start with Jena. With her gentle push, words of encouragement, inspiring outlook on life, passion for art and experience, she will steer you in the direction you want to go with out you realizing it. Jena makes it all flow so naturally.
Majena has the gift of getting the best out of her students to elicit their own artistic contributions.
Claudia Douglas
I met Jena at the first art class I enrolled in - my first since I was at school many years earlier! Her encouragement and support was just what I needed as a raw beginner. The course provided me with basic skills and experience with different media, but Jena also gave me the confidence to explore my own directions and to continue with my interest in art. Jena used reproductions of the work of established artists to inspire us in class, and the shoe box I now have which contains my collection of postcard reproductions from galleries all over the world came into being as a result of that first class!
Sandra |
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I would like to say in sincerity that I found participation in the majena’s workshops broadened my awareness of other art mediums besides those actually used in the class, and the five day workshop was a most enjoyable and worthwhile learning experience. It was also a very positive social activity.
Enid
Jena's Materials and Techniques work was a fascinating two days. I learnt how to use traditional and, not so traditional materials in my art-work, as well as the amazing range of uses for rabbit skin. I would definitely recommend this workshop to anyone interested in stretching their boundaries with their art; both beginners and more experienced artists.
Julie |
I learned a huge amount about the possibilities of various media I'd never considered as art materials before. And the demonstrations were invaluable, to show me how the materials worked and how I could work with them to exploit their characteristics. Plenty of time for play too - this is an invaluable part of Jena's workshops that's at the heart of her philosophy as a teacher.
Wendy
You know how common it is to hear the exclamation: "oh my God!" Well I sometimes said that to myself in your classes. It wasn't from shock but from gratitude. As a man in my 70s recently attending life-drawing workshops, I found myself in your classes. Over three semesters I grew, and was enabled to grow by you and my classmates, till I could actually say aloud "I am an artist" and even come to believe it.
VIVA LA JENA ! VIVA LA ARTMILK !
Tony O’Brien
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Jena had really done her homework before the Altered Books workshop - she had various altered books to demonstrate, and a great range of ideas for us to play with. The workshop was just the right mix of shared information and demonstration sessions, and time for each participant to play and explore individually. Jena was enormously supportive and encouraging. There was an air of justified celebration at the end of the workshop, when we shared our very diverse products
Wendy
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I learnt more in this weekend’s workshop than I’ve learnt in 10 years of trying to understand art! Thank goodness for Jena Mafe and artmilk!
Sam
I would like to say how nurturing Jena is with students and how well she listens and interprets what they endeavoring to express, she encourages students to try and think about possibilities and to working with ideas in an exciting way. Jena teachers from an openness to a wide range of approaches that each student might have to their work and she is able to very effectively and subtly guide students to where they are wanting to go reaching their goals.
Roxanne |
Jena has the ability to engender confidence and inspire us to go further with our art expression than we thought possible. She has the sensitivity and insight to move us from under confidence to the feeling that each person does really have something very worthwhile to express and that each individual is unique and "precious". After a while we begin to believe it , believe in ourselves as artists and take our practice seriously. Then she takes us to the next step- keeping our enthusiasm "juiced up", so we move forward with our art and don't let ourselves get side tracked - keeping us true to ourselves. Then there's all the practical help like understanding the history of art and where we fit into this world. I could go on--------------
Delma Brunello |
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