Jan Shotwell

Janice Kirk (Jan) Shotwell, 83, an artist whose paintings hang in many Iowa homes, died of congestive heart failure Thursday at the Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center after battling cancer for decades.

Born in Diagonal, Jan grew up in the Valley Junction section of West Des Moines. As a child, her artistic talent caught the eye of a neighbor, Rich Kennelly, a flamboyant gambler and bootlegger. He paid Jan's tuition at the old Cumming School of Art at Twenty- ninth Street and Kingman Boulevard.

After graduation from Valley High School, Jan worked at Bankers Life Company (now Principal Financial). During during World War Two she joined the Marine Corps, became a squad leader and ran a post exchange near Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Jan was among the early members of the Des Moines Art Center, where she painted and taught classes. Jan's paintings won many awards, including a Blue Ribbon at the Iowa State Fair. Sixteen of her paintings were willed to the Jan Shotwell Collection, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames.

For nine years in the 1970s, Jan operated an art gallery on Fifth Street in Valley Junction. Her goal was to provide exposure for blossoming artists, and several owe their successful careers to the boost they first received at Jan's Gallery.

In addition, Jan almost single handedly promoted the old-new look of downtown Valley Junction, with its antique shops, restaurants and other attractions. Some merchants opposed her, but Jan won, and the area has prospered.

After selling the gallery, Jan became a prime spokeswoman for the Des Moines art community. She was a board member of the Metro Arts Alliance, had a studio at the old Fitch Shampoo building at Fifteenth and Walnut Streets and was one of the founders of the Artists Emporium at Fourth Street and Court Avenue. Many fledgling artists continued to get their first exposure there.

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In 1970, the legendary Jan Shotwell opened Jan's Gallery in Historic Valley Junction, thus establishing one of the first galleries in central Iowa to promote local and regional artists. Her pioneering dedication made it possible for a full-service professional service to thrive. In 1979, Ann Larsen and Marlene Olson purchased Jan's Gallery, and renamed it Olson-Larsen Galleries.