Arts

Who: Jane Rosen What: New and Selected Works show When: Show hangs through Dec. 31 Where: JH Muse Gallery Web: www.janerosen.com, www.jhmuse.com By Katy Niner red-tailed hawk circled overhead. New to California wilderness, Jane Rosen heard the birds clarion call: Tell my story. Now, she listens to the animals roaming her ranch south of San Francisco: two tame ravens that follow her around, hungry for dog biscuits; Negrita, the feisty Arabian mare, who poses for her drawings; chipmunks who slink into her studio to eat sunflower seeds; the three long-horned steers who parked themselves in front of her Subaru. She truly is the voice of nature, said Tayloe Piggott, owner of JH Muse Gallery, where a survey of Rosens nature works narrated in many mediums now live through Dec. 31. Growing up in New York City, Rosen weighed becoming an artist, veterinarian or psychologist. Now, her art blends all three. I think the work sits between science, art and spirituality, she said. At New York University, she studied under Chuck Close and Sol LeWitt and immersed herself in the art world. She bought a downtown loft in now-SoHo. She and her friends were working in the footsteps of de Kooning and Pollock, she said. It was an exciting era for artists. Even then, though, she felt pulled by nature. A gallery opening appealed less to her than a night spent studying a pine cone. Shells, plants and flea-

STEPPING OUT Jackson Hole News&Guide, Wednesday, November 25, 2009 - 9

Rosen finds inspiration in animals, nature

Jane Rosen truly is the voice of nature, said Tayloe Piggott, owner of JH Muse Gallery. Dark Amber, seen here, is part of the gallerys exhibit of Rosens works.

market animal sculptures littered her loft. She spent most of her time on her fire escape. While her friends mulled minimalism, Rosen sculpted horse heads, equine essences. In 1990, Rosen spent six months in northern California and felt compelled to stay where nature is wildly larger than culture. There was something so deep and abiding in the knowledge that this was something I needed to do, she said. Trading art for a horse ranch

tenancy, she became bicoastal. She taught at the University of California Berkeley, UC Davis, Stanford University and, in New York, the School of Visual Arts and Bard College. A beloved teacher, she receives daily emails of gratitude. Two days before the Twin Towers fell, she finally fully uprooted west. Inadvertently, my art taught me what the world needed from me, she said. Rosen approaches animals as teachers. They personify our own

states, she said. I really feel like the key to understanding our own better nature is through being in the presence of nature. Transcending trends, her art captures profound moments in nature. If the art you make can allow someone to feel that feeling one derives from being on a mountain or in the woods, it could function as an icon of nature, she said. Hers is a classical yet contemporary aesthetic, aware of ancient Egyptian art; Renaissance her drawings channel Leonardo da Vinci; and Asian art Katsushika Hokusai and The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting. She recently discovered kinship with Rosa Bonheur, a trailblazing female wildlife artist from the 19th century. Her Rosa Bonheur drawing hangs at JH Muse Gallery, a presence that unconsciously parallels the National Museum of Wildlife Arts current Collection Spotlight on Rosa Bonheur and the European Tradition. Rosen moves boldly, gracefully between drawing, sculpture and printmaking. She recycled limestone and wood long before it was fashionable, and invented her own marble mix. Her hand transforms glass into rough yet translucent forms. The JH Muse show conveys the intensity of Rosens relationship with nature, a connection Piggott feels will resonate deeply with Jackson collectors. In the presence of Rosens art, Piggott feels the watchful hawk, standing guard on a fence post, a riverbank. We are being watched, Piggott said. These creatures are so aware of our presence. And now, with Rosens art instilling consciousness, we too are aware of them.

Creative Christmas show will help stock food pantry

Who: 18 regional artisans and vendors What: Art in the Hole Christmas Show When: 10 a.m.6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday Where: The Wort Hotel How much: Donation of nonperishable goods or cash for Jackson Hole Cupboard By Mark Wilcox Besides the religion that lays the foundation for the holiday season, two things are heavily associated with Christmas: giving and shopping. On Friday and Saturday, attendees of the Art in the Hole Christmas Show will have a chance to participate in both of these activities simultaneously. Attendees will be able to peruse art, jewelry and other hand-crafted goods by 18 different vendors. At the show, people will find handmade wreaths, glasswork, watercolor paintings, cosmetics, jewelry, photography, salad dressings, fly-fishing ornaments, fleece hats, antler cutlery, nutcrackers, Christmas ornaments, soaps, lotions and more. Art in the Hole is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at The Wort Hotel. Though the show is designed to give local artisans and vendors a forum to show their wares, organizers Marilyn Arland and Jan Spencer wanted it to be more. After considering the needs of the community, they approached the Jackson Hole Cupboard, a volunteer-run organization, to see if they could attach a holiday food drive to the event. The result? Admission price to the show is giving to the Jackson Hole Cupboard, by bringing nonperishable items such as canned goods, cereals or personal items like shampoo and soap or by donating cash to the Cupboard so their volunteer shoppers can go out and fill the communitys most pressing needs. Minimum donation is any can of food. During the show, volunteers will set up three tables to accept and organize items to be transported the minimal distance to St. Johns Episcopal Church basement, where the Jackson Hole Cupboard operates through the grace of the churchs donation of space and 200 to 300 volunteer hours per month. Our mission of the art show is to inform the public on the food from the Boy Scouts annual Scouting for Food drive a key food-raiser. Its off-season; people dont have jobs, Brooks said. The needs of the Cupboard, however, remain basic: canned fruit, meats, vegetables and soups, tomato products, cereal, soap, shampoo, diapers and other staple nonperishable goods that can help a struggling family survive. Theyre definitely needs, Brooks said. And anyone concerned that some people may take advantage of the donations should probably quit worrying, as Brooks said the people seeking donations are on the whole humble and helpful. The people that come in are generally pretty nice, but they might be down on their luck, Brooks said. Theyre very grateful for us, and were grateful for them. That gratitude, she said, often motivates recipients of the charity to come in and volunteer their own time when they are able. Even when they are shopping for themselves, they help out as best as they can. Its that type of place, Brooks said. We just feel lucky that people are like that.

Art in the Hole will have paintings for sale, like this Fred Kingwill watercolor, as well as ornaments, jewelry and more.

need to help replenish the Jackson Hole Cupboard for the upcoming holidays, Arland said. Itll be a great event. In former years, the National Museum of Wildlife Art held a similar event to highlight local artisans on the same weekend after Thanksgiving. This year, the museum canceled that show, so Spencer and Arland took up the torch, adding the food drive into the mix with the

art and products of regional vendors, seeing a need and an opportunity because of the slumping economy. Were really happy to be able to support the Cupboard, especially with the need they have this year, Arland said. And the need is greater this holiday season. Amy Brooks, executive director of the Jackson Hole Cupboard, said the pantry has already distributed about half of the