BRATTLEBORO — River Gallery School will display the work of Jamis Lott, artist, puppeteer, maskmaker, and philosopher, throughout January. Jamis and his father, Steve, were shot and killed recently in Townshend. He was 28.
Since early childhood, Jamis Lott had an exceptional interest in and talent for art. Along with his friend and teacher Margaret (Missy) Stearns, he worked on art projects exploring his vivid imagination. When he was a child, she helped him collage a giant dragon, which for years hung in his family's kitchen. Stearns and Lott remained close and important friends throughout his life.
“I began doing art with Jamis when he was a kindergartener,” Stearns said. “His gift for integrating all his life experiences, all his thoughts, all his imaginings into works of art was already there. As an adult, Lott stated he was overwhelmed by the idea - the miracle - by which human beings are able to find unity in everything they take time to understand. Because he was constantly expanding his knowledge and working to understand and appreciate everything around him, he created unity and wholeness within himself. Everything he touched, his every external act, became a work of art.”
Lott spent seven years as a student at River Gallery School, attending Children's Studio art classes, where he worked with Barbara Campman and Jillian Farwell.
“He was very self-guided. He just needed space and art materials and he would enter his world of imagination,” Campman said of Lott's time at the school.
“He was so appreciative that he could be provided with that. He didn't seem to get frustrated by the materials or the process. He simply produced his imagery, and was usually happy with the results. His images were strong, the faces so expressive - powerful, beautiful, and haunting. We all responded to them. His paintings were profound; they possessed an inner truth.”
Lott's own words will always remain the best description of his connection to art. The following is an excerpt from his artist's statement (which can be read in its entirety at the show and on his website, www.jamistrations.com:
“Any sort of act can be an act of art; the way we treat our bodies, how we have an argument, the way we wait for a bus, the expression of pain as we have a wound mended, the style of reaction we apply to situations when people ask us personal questions, and all other expressions of ourselves. Life is full of toil, but even in toil we can realize one great fact, that when we become angry, sad or happy we are interacting with something outside of ourselves. This is the sign that invites us through the doorway into art.”
The artwork in the show represents various stages in Lott's life, including his time working with Stearns; his years at RGS; his work at Castleton State College, where he studied writing, philosophy, and art; and his work as a puppeteer in Vermont and Prague. Masks, puppets, pastels, paintings, drawings, and cartoons are included.
A scholarship fund in Jamis Lott's name has been established at River Gallery School. Contributions can be made online, by mail, and in person.