ARTIST STATEMENT
Though you’ll usually find me wearing a beat up leather hat - I figuratively ‘wear many hats’ when it comes to my artistic endeavors. I love the challenge of creating original pieces for my clients at Vandalia. As a solo artist I push myself to attempt new techniques and combine more than one skill. As a songwriter, singer and musician I play from the heart and love getting the chance to perform.
BIO
PERSONAL
Jamie Lester lives in Morgantown, WV. Lester was born on September 7th, 1974 in Oceana, West Virginia, a small mining town in Wyoming County. After graduating from West Virginia University in 1997, with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts, he formed Lester Sculpture, specializing in bronze monument sculpture and fine artwork. In 2012 Lester created Vandalia Bronze LLC., further expanding his art team.
In 2004, Lester designed the obverse side of the West Virginia State Commemorative Quarter, depicting a panoramic view of the New River Gorge Bridge.
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Fine Arts
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV 26506
Area of Study: Sculpture
EXPERIENCE
Lester’s award-winning bronze sculpture has shown in galleries in West Virginia, Maryland, and The Society of Fine Arts and Crafts in Boston, Massachusetts. He is a member of the Portrait Society of America and the National Sculpture Society.
His experience in the monumental bronze industry is specialized in portraiture and figurative sculpture. Since 1997, Jamie 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.
Jamie spent 5 weeks studying figurative sculpture in Jingdezhen, Xian, and Beijing, China in 2011, while teaching as a guest artist at Jingdezhen Ceramics Institute. In 2015 Jamie completed a two-week course of study in Rome, Italy, focusing on the figurative sculpture of Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
The Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance at Keyspan Park on Coney Island is one of the most well-known and widely viewed works produced by Jamie Lester. The six-foot tall figures were commissioned in 2002 to commemorate the 105 firefighters from Brooklyn who lost their lives in the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Lester has completed over 30+ statues for the Boy scouts of America.
Collectors & Commissions
ARTS, MUNICIPLE & Memorial
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Vandalia Bronze, was selected by the Tennessee State Capitol Commission (SCC) to create a bronze statue of West Tennessee frontiersman and statesman David Crockett for an iconic spot on the Tennessee State Capitol. The proposal for Crockett shows the man as a “guardian of the frontier” standing atop a stone with his dogs Rattler and Tigger beside him. Crockett’s body for the statue will likely stand eight to nine feet tall and will be unveiled in 2026.
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Vandalia Bronze was commissioned by the state of of West Virginia to conceptualize, create & install a monumental bronze statue of Arthur Boreman who served as the state’s first governor from 1863 to 1869. The 8ft tall bronze statue was unveiled in 2024 and sits in front of the Independence Hall Museum in Wheeling, WV.
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The 8ft tall Rising Cardinal statue unveiled in 2021 is located in Beckley, WV and sits in a public plaza that was created after a fire burned a building to the ground.
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This piece combines the words LOVE and HOPE in a cubic formation. This abstract piece can be rotated manually. Dimensions are 60″ X 60″, fabricated stainless steel. This piece was commissioned by and is part of John Harkey’s private collection. The sculpture was installed in 2019.
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This 11-foot tall bronze statue was created in 2017 and was unveiled at its location in Williamstown, WV on October 24, 2017.
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This life-size bronze statue of Mylan Pharmaceuticals features an 8-foot tall stainless steel mirrored WVU logo. It was dedicated in September 2017 in memory of Milan Puskar.
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This larger than life bronze German shepherd statue will be dedicated in the Oak Hill K-9 Memorial in Oak Hill, WV in November 2017.
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This life-size bronze statue was commissioned by the City of Morgantown and unveiled on July 23, 2016. Jamie Lester worked with the Don Knotts family to create the design for the statue, depicting the brilliant comedic actor in his prime. Don Knotts is posed seated with a police cap in one hand to symbolize his most famous character, Barney Fife and a film script in the other hand with the inscription “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken” in homage to his film career.
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This life-size bronze statue was commissioned by the City of Morgantown and unveiled on June 20, 2016.
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This 8-foot bronze statue of the legendary basketball announcer was unveiled on February 20, 2016. In this monument, Hundley is making his famous hook-shot towards the basket.
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This project was commissioned by Florida Atlantic University in April of 2011 and is in progress. The 8-foot high bronze sculpture of Sean Stein has been installed in the courtyard of FAU in West Palm Beach, Florida in November of 2012.
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This life-size half figure of “The Voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers” was commissioned by John and Anita Fleming in 2009. The project is in the finishing stages and will be installed at the WVU Alumni Center in February of 2011.
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In February 2007, West Virginia University dedicated a 8ft tall bronze statue to honor one of the greatest basketball players to play for the Mountaineers, Jerry West. The NBA legend and executive statue sits outside the Coliseum in Morgantown.
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Item description
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We were challenged to create a monumental sculpture at The Summit Bechtal Reserve that represents the newly unified “Scouts of America.” Prior to the unification females did not have a place in the Boy Scouts. We had already created a number of pieces within the reserve’s sculpture park, home of Scouting America’s National Jamboree.
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A larger than life sculpture of inspirational triathlete, Dave Alexander. He is an exceptional competitor who has competed in over 300 international ultra triathlons. One beauty of this piece was the balance of Dave’s ironman build on a small framed bike. A favorite aspect of this piece is the strength and intensity of Alexander’s posture. An interesting aspect of the sculpture is the hidden text along the edge of the wheel. This 8-foot bronze statue was commissioned by the Boy Scouts of America and was unveiled in June of 2018.
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This 8-foot bronze statue was commission by the Boy Scouts of America and was unveiled during the 2017 National Jamboree at Summit Bechtel Reserve in Mount Hope, West Virginia.
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This 8-foot bronze statue was commission by the Boy Scouts of America and was unveiled during the 2017 National Jamboree at Summit Bechtel Reserve in Mount Hope, West Virginia.
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This 8-foot bronze statue was commission by the Boy Scouts of America and was unveiled during the 2017 National Jamboree at Summit Bechtel Reserve in Mount Hope, West Virginia.
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This 8-foot bronze statue was commission by the Boy Scouts of America and was unveiled during the 2017 National Jamboree at Summit Bechtel Reserve in Mount Hope, West Virginia.
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This 8-foot bronze statue was commission by the Boy Scouts of America and was unveiled during the 2017 National Jamboree at Summit Bechtel Reserve in Mount Hope, West Virginia.
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This 8-foot bronze statue was commission by the Boy Scouts of America and was unveiled during the 2017 National Jamboree at Summit Bechtel Reserve in Mount Hope, West Virginia.
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This 8-foot bronze statue was commission by the Boy Scouts of America and was unveiled during the 2017 National Jamboree at Summit Bechtel Reserve in Mount Hope, West Virginia.
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This 8-foot bronze statue was commission by the Boy Scouts of America and was unveiled during the 2017 National Jamboree at Summit Bechtel Reserve in Mount Hope, West Virginia.
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This 8-foot bronze statue of CONSOL Energy CEO was unveiled in June of 2016.
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This 8-foot bronze statue of Brett and Carol Harvey’s sons, Jared and Sam, was unveiled in June of 2016 in memory of Jared Harvey. The two brothers are posed in a mountain biking scene. Jared, the older brother, points the way while Sam shields his eyes to see better. The sculptural base indicates that their paths diverge, telling the story of Jared’s untimely passing.
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This 8-foot bronze statue of Strongwell Corporation CEO was unveiled in June of 2016.
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This 13-foot bronze statue in memory of Gregory Augustine, son of Norman Augustine of Lockheed Martin. It was unveiled in June of 2016. Gregory died at a young age. His patches and insignia on his uniform match those of his actual uniform and Eagle Scout sash. The soaring eagle symbolizes his timeless spirit and reinforces the sculpture’s title, “Forever Eagle”.
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This 8-foot bronze statue was commissioned by the Boy Scouts of America and was unveiled in June of 2015.
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This 8-foot bronze statue was commissioned by the Boy Scouts of America and was unveiled in June of 2015.
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This 8-foot bronze statue was commissioned by the Boy Scouts of America and was unveiled in June of 2015
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The 8-foot bronze sculpture of Lonnie Poole Jr. was unveiled at the Summit, the permanent site of the Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree in 2013. Another casting of this sculpture is in the permanent collection of North Carolina State University.
Scouts of AMERICA
EXHIBITIONS & AWARDS
Jamie has had his fine art exhibited in various group and solo shows and has achieved awards, grants and recognition throughout his working career
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This solo exhibition represents the work of one year. I have been developing this binary method of working in ceramics and steel over the last 5 years. This representation of the method is the most complete so far. Each medium is strong on its own. Yet in these assembled states each depends on the other for completion.
I was first captivated by clay in undergraduate studies at WVU, and inspired by the maverick Chinese sculptor Jiansheng Li. I am still drawn to the malleable nature of clay, an infinite mesh that can be shaped into whatever form we can dream of. Like Prometheus, we breathe life into this inert material and become a God for a moment.
Clay is glazed but steel is patinaed with rust and layers of paint. With this visual language I can arrange the framework of a loose narrative, upon which the viewer can build their own assertions.
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EXHIBITIONS
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Lester’s sculpture titled ‘Poseidon’ won best of show at Tamarack’s Best of West Virginia
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Lester’s design featuring the New River Gorge Bridge graces the obverse side of the U.S. WV quarter.