Colorado has been home for Jan Mapes since 1969, when her parents moved there after a life in the military. The western lifestyle suited Jan, as she always dreamed of living with cowboys, horses, cattle, wildlife, and the beautiful landscapes of the west. Art became her venue for expressing and sharing her love for these things. Today Jan Mapes lives near the small town of Kim, Colorado, where the cedars and pinon trees grow close to the rock canyons and bluffs that are part of the high plains ranching community of southeastern Colorado. The beauty feeds the soul, and its inhabitants give Jan Mapes plenty of subject matter for her sculptures and paintings.