Jan Mapes

While the Air Force took her family all over the world, she dreamed about the West and filled her sketchbooks with drawings of horses. Her love for nature prompted her to study earth science at college in Colorado where she found horses were nearly everywhere, just like she’d imagined. She married a cowboy, who trained cutting horses and was inspired to try her hand at sculpting while wandering through the art galleries of Santa Fe on their honeymoon. She taught earth science for a short while, but the classroom just didn’t fit a soul made for the outdoors. With Jim’s support, she quit teaching to help with the horses and began to pursue artwork more seriously.

For over forty years now, Jan has made her home in a rural ranch community, training her eye, honing her craft and working cattle horseback. Her proficiency as a sculptor and painter enable her to render the western way of life she loves so much with tremendous feel and accuracy. She continues to grow in God’s love through the many ups and downs life brings, including a battle with breast cancer and the challenge of Parkinson’s.

She embodies a remarkable resilience, tender beauty and ability to savor all the goodness of life, be it a walk through the pasture at sunset or a delicious homemade meal with loved ones. Her sensitivity and appreciation for the world around her enables her to convey the emotion of the land and it’d creatures in a truly profound way that invites others to share the moment through her artwork.

Today her work travels from her studio in southeastern Colorado all across the United States and around the world. Whether painting or sculpting Jan’s goal is to capture the spirit and beauty of this earthly experience and encourage others to experience it as well.