Gima Jansen /Artist/ Printmaker/ Art Educator

"Winds of Change"           Gima Jansen, 2005

I work primarily in the Intaglio Printmaking medium.
My work draws more from personal experience and personal feelings regarding the subject rather than concern for exact likeness and accurate proportion.
I take major liberties in abstracting elements in my compositions.
Both abstract and representational images are combined to graphically portray my imagery.

  

                                                          

                                                                 "Soul to Soul"                Gima Jansen, 2005

PHILOSOPHY OF ART INSTRUCTION

I believe that the role of the art instructor in post-secondary education is not just about teaching but as importantly, about inspiring students, not now to be an artist, but how to learn to be an artist.  I believe that it is my job to provide direction and guidance for students to develop a method of truth finding for themselves that will take them beyond the classroom environment and into everyday living.  While in the academic situation, I feel that it is their opportunity to discover something of the true nature of their unique artistic expression and of the processes by which inspiration works.

My goal as an art instructor is not just to teach technical skills. I strongly desire to foster an environment in which each student can find their own path of self-discovery and self-expression that will enable them to develop into mature and more creative artists and individuals, while at the same time meeting the goals of the department curriculum.

Art study is a time of growth and development for students.  It is also a time for exploration and experimentation of media, process and creativity.  I believe that it is my responsibility, as an instructor, to provide as much exposure to as many different processes related to a course as possible.  I feel that it is within these skills that the necessary syntax is learned and fine-tuned so that the individual may become competent in the process of self-discovery and how to effectively communicate their own personal expression.

As an art instructor I hope to provide a foundation for a way of life; for the classroom is only a tool, and the completion of a degree is only a beginning, and art is a way of life.

Gima Jansen  Mickey

                                                                                                                

                                                                                                                   ' Reflect and Release'                   Gima Jansen, 2005

"When my daughter was about seven years old, she asked me one day what I did at work.  I told her I worked at the college - that my job was to teach people how to draw.  She stared back at me, incredulous, and said, "You mean they forget?" -Howard Ikemoto

                                                                                                   

                                                                                                        "Earth Spirit Rising"                               Gima Jansen, 2005