Jan Yost

Janet Lea Yost passed away unexpectedly in her home in Durango, Colorado on July 15th, 2002, just a few weeks past celebrating her 46th birthday. This
has been a tremendous shock to family and loved ones, especially those whew knew how happy, healthy and full of life she was.
As head of the art department at Durango High School and river guide for Grand Canyon Expeditions, Jan surrounded herself with the things most important to her—love and beauty. She considered the Grand Canyon a second home and carried that spirit of place through her daily life. Through her numerous commercial and private river trips in the canyon as well as her extensive backpacking adventures from both the north and south rims, she soaked the love and beauty up and it spilled over onto those around her. Like most canyon lovers under the spell, Jan was empowered by the Canyon, and knew the magic of translating it to others—passengers, students and friends alike. She was a teacher in the truest sense, a living example of being true to yourself—and it was infectious.
Janet was a fine watercolorist and her paintings say much about her. As a painter of landscapes, still-lifes and portraits, her dominant subject matter was Grand Canyon. From rim vistas to a sagebrush valley to water reflecting off polished cobble at the base of a rapid, there is a warm glow in her work. Jan loved vivid, bright colors, true and strong, underneath subtle layers of shadow and form, creating fabulous depth.

Like a campfire on a brisk, cool evening, her work grabs you from afar and pulls you in for a closer look. She was always “mind painting”, whether sitting on her boat in the early morning sipping coffee watching the light change, or describing shadow play to her passengers on the river. She pushed her students to maximize the potential she observed in their work. One might say she had a magic eye for this or perhaps just the patience to study it all. Quality over quantity and the journey rather than the destination were her obvious priorities.
Janet was a true romantic. A “Harvey Girl” with a cowgirl’s heart, she loved the west and all of its extremes. She will be remembered that way by those who were fortunate enough to know her. Especially her husband, Derald Stewart, whom she introduced to the Grand Canyon. He has told me she changed his life and sent him down a new path. Her friends would agree that she taught us all something that has enriched our lives.
Jan is a deer at Nankoweep, a Bighorn running up a slope in Conquistador Isle and a Canyon Wren in Blacktail. Her spirit is painting a line of dories in the Havasu Harbor or sitting on the rim at Toroweap with her feet dangling off into the abyss, watching swifts play in the air. She’s riding off into a Maynard Dixon sunset, in her boots and chaps, wearing her favorite red bandana on her horse “Red”. Adios Juanita, vaya con dios, our dear one!

Andy Hutchinson