Jan Flood
Jan entered the field of education due to her love of helping others, but she always incorporated her love of art into everything she did. After teaching and several years as an administrator, with her children now grown, she realized her dream of being a full-time artist. She opened Canyon studios in 1989, a teaching studio and also a place to produce her life-like sculptures of children. That same year she had an opportunity to study with a prominent European Master Sculptor and later learned the traditional method of mold-making from a master mold maker. Her art has been shown extensively, seen in magazines and private collections.
With a lifelong interest in Archeology and Anthropology she studied the subjects in school and later worked with community organizations. An interest in Forensic Anthropology led her to study Forensic Facial Reconstruction. It was Betty Pat. Gatliff, the foremost American Forensic Facial Reconstruction Artist, who encouraged her and inspired her passion for facial reconstruction. More than just sculpting a portrait, facial reconstruction uses the skull to recreate the head and features of a person that may lead to identification. Today, computer identification programs are being used more often but sometimes nothing is as good as a 3-dimensional recreation for recognition. Along with the blending of science and art in a facial reconstruction, some of the techniques used are helpful to artists who are looking for ways to incorporate more realism in their own work. This blending of techniques is what Jan has been teaching for several years.
For many years Jan has owned her own business, been active in her community often doing the art work for church and other organizations. She served as President of the city Chamber of Commerce and as a Director on the County Chamber of Commerce. She was frequently asked to speak and often hosted gatherings for political candidates and the Chamber of Commerce at her home and in the office.
She taught seminars, workshops, wrote articles and served on church and community committees. She continued her own studies becoming certified in the Gesell method of school placement for children, attended budget and financial management seminars and numerous other workshops. After moving to Missouri Jan was chosen to take part in a Federal program to bring internet technology to the rural areas of the state. Following the training she was certified as an Internet Master through the University of Missouri. Her duties consisted of helping establish local ISPs, teaching community classes on using computers and the internet and helping individuals set up a computer and internet facilities in their homes. She later took a number of classes on web site development to further her knowledge in that area. She holds a degree in Education and life-time teaching credentials.
Today Jan enjoys on-line teaching, time to write books and having more leisure time. She continues to volunteer her time to law enforcement and works with abused women, as well as incarcerated females. Counseling and teaching a variety of skills they can take with them when they return home.
