No small town functions properly without its local places of community such as the central post office, grocery, church, and schoolhouse, that each work to connect individuals into a cohesive community. The impressionist painter Lee Jamison has lived in Southeast Texas for over twenty five years, documenting the area’s landscapes and historical buildings in his artworks. Jamison declares, “I really enjoyed staying in one place long enough to watch people grow up—watch trees grow up—and feel my connection to my surroundings.” He likes to celebrate the unofficial community headquarters found in every small town. He says these treasures are many times hidden behind the thick forest of the “pine curtain,” and they hold a plethora of views and landscapes in which he finds inspiration. Of these many places of community, Jamison declares the courthouse is the most important of all. Each small town contains a county courthouse that remains an important fixture of the architectural landscape. He proclaims, “Our courthouses should tie us together, and, at least in terms of architecture and pathways to elsewhere, they do.” Here, his painting, The Lavaca County Courthouse, Hallettsville, Texas (2023), illustrates the prominent building that has been central to the Hallettsville community since it was constructed in 1897. In the nineteenth century, Hallettsville was founded by German and Czech immigrants, many of whom have descendents in the area today. The courthouse has since been carefully restored and preserved and maintains a spot on the National Register of historical buildings. With a strong respect for the area’s history, the artist’s interests lie in the documentation and preservation of these structures. 

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Jamison has been a resident of Huntsville, Texas and the surrounding area for over twenty five years. As a young child, Jamison developed an interest in art and began painting at the age of eight. He majored in art at Lon Morris College, Jacksonville, Texas, and completed his degree at Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana. Since 1982, Jamison has worked as a full-time artist. His projects have included major works for the Driskill Hotel, Austin and The University of Texas at Austin. Jamison has exhibited at the Witte Museum, San Antonio, the San Angelo Museum of Fine Art, and the Texas State Capitol, among many others. His work is included in the collection of former President George H. W. Bush among others. Publications include Ode to East Texas: The Art of Lee Jamison (2021), and inclusions in Of Texas Rivers and Texas Art (2017), and The Art of Texas State Parks: A Centennial Celebration (2022). He illustrated the book Seven Wonders of the Universe That You Probably Took for Granted (2011) by C. Reneè James. Jamison is represented by Sarah Foltz Gallery in Houston.