So important to Rosen was her investigation of nature that she left her native New York ten years ago to live on a ranch in California. She sought to immerse herself in an environment "where nature is larger than culture." According to Rosen, our daily encounters with cultural symbols override such natural instincts as knowing the contours of the human body. Therefore, Rosen attempts to reconnect with her instincts by not just simply drawing the human figure as she sees it, but as if she were actually touching it. By experiencing the human form on more than one level, she better understands her own being and communicates with the viewer about how his or her being may relate to it.

Often, her work also incorporates animal figures, for which "animal nature [acts as a] key to understanding our own nature." As she creates the figures with her hands, the process of art-making inevitably engages a kind of understanding that stretches beyond regular cognition. It is this heightened state of awareness that leads Rosen to view animals and humans as though they share the same essence.

For Rosen, art is a language through which she can explore these questions that her mind alone cannot fully grasp. In the process, she hopes to inspire and activate the viewer to contemplate life's possibilities.

For more information on Jane Rosen, please go to her website: www.janerosen.com.

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