Get to know Jamie Lester, an American sculptor working in bronze, ceramics, and steel. He’s also a painter working in watercolor and oil; and a composer working with guitar, mandolin and voice. Lester is based in Morgantown and graduated from WVU in 1997 with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts. After graduating, he formed Lester Sculpture, which specializes in bronze monument sculpture and fine artwork. In 2012, he created Vandalia Bronze LLC, further expanding his art team.
His experience in the monumental bronze industry is specialized in portraiture and figurative sculpture.
His experience in the monumental bronze industry is specialized in portraiture and figurative sculpture. Since ’97, he has sculpted thousands of bas-relief portraits and has completed a multitude of large-scale bronze statues. His bronze figures possess a dynamic sensitivity with exquisite detail.
Lester would love for you to make plans to see the West Virginia Watercolor Society show this holiday season.
Lester is also involved with the Love Hope Center for the Arts in Fayetteville. This is a fine art gallery located at 100 Rotan Street and features a 1600 square foot exhibition space, a gift shop, and 1600 ft of studio and education space. Programming includes exhibitions, art events and education. Lester would love for you to make plans to see the West Virginia Watercolor Society show this holiday season. It opens Saturday, December 4 and runs through January 15. It features the best of WVWS member work. And on December 3 and 4, don’t miss the Winter Sampler, an art market featuring Fayette Arts Coalition members.
Learn more about this West Virginia artist with our Q&A:
Q. Describe your art.
A. My art focuses on the human figure combined with imagery derived primarily from life in Appalachia, including birds, architecture, and landscape. My sculptural and painting style is influenced by baroque, postimpressionism, and surrealism.
“My greatest accomplishment is writing my unfinished, unpublished novel, Birdsong.” – Jamie Lester
Q. How do you describe your palette?
A. My palette is always dirty.
Q. What inspired you to become an artist?
A. My mother inspired me to become an artist.
Q. What’s your greatest accomplishment?
A. My greatest accomplishment is writing my unfinished, unpublished novel, Birdsong.
Q. What obstacles do you need to overcome to find your creative space/muse?
A. I am extremely good at convincing myself I need to work on something else. Focusing on one medium is sometimes difficult.
Q. How do you find your inspiration?
A. In the stories of those loving and living and struggling through life all around me.
“I am extremely good at convincing myself I need to work on something else. Focusing on one medium is sometimes difficult.” – Jamie Lester
Q. What advice do you have for other artists?
A. Keep making art on a daily basis. Don’t worry about whether what you’re making is good or not, that is for others to decide.
Q. What is your favorite piece(s) you’ve made and why?
A. My favorite sculpture right now is Rising Cardinals, because it is breaking down some walls that previously contained my work.
Q. What is the best way for our readers to find you?
A. Visit my website at jamie-lester.com, call 304-276-4846, email lestersculpt@gmail.com, and follow him @lestersculpture on facebook.
– HashtagWV #138. (Dec-Jan 2022)
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