Jamie West

Jamie West is an art school, and it is here that the young Violet studies. She went to art school on a full ride, and in her junior year was chosen for the Museum of Modern Art’s celebration of student artists, “The Upstart Gallery.” To many painters, a school like this means teachers to learn from, a studio and a shot at a future; to Violet, it is also a line she does not dare cross lightly.

She skipped class to make it to the ritual, and she would rather word of it never got back to the school. On meeting Dynamo, the first thing she asked about was the people at Jamie West:

“Do you know any of the teachers at Jamie West?”

“你认识杰米·韦斯特学院的老师吗？”TL

No sooner had she asked than she owned up to her worry — she had slipped out, and only wanted to be sure he had no chance to narc on her:

“Oh, I'm skipping class to do this and just want to make sure you can't narc on me.”

“哦，我是翘课来这儿的，就想确认你没法告我的状。”TL

Nor was the worry a passing joke. When she came up against the professor again, the thought still filled her with dread:

“Oh god, if he knows anyone at Jamie West I'm getting expelled.”

“天哪，要是他认识杰米·韦斯特的人，我就得被开除了。”TL

That one word, “expelled,” shows how much her place at the school weighs in her life.

Yet the school is not only something Violet fears; it is also something she wants to repay. Painting Lady Geist, she could not help wondering whether she might get Jamie West an endowment:

“Oh man, what if I could get Jamie West an endowment?”

“哎呀，要是能让杰米·韦斯特给我拨笔捐助就好了。”TL

The thought, blurted out, shows that the school is never far from Violet’s mind: she wants to make a name for herself, and she wants to bring the opportunity back to Jamie West as well.

Violet also told Nurse Harrow that she reminded her of one of her professors at Jamie West:

“You remind me of one of my professors at Jamie West.”

“你让我想起杰米·韦斯特的一位教授。”TL

“Presumably that means you either loved your teacher or you were terrified of them.”

“想必意味着你要么爱戴那位老师，要么怕她怕得要命。”TL

As for whether she loved that professor or was terrified of her, Harrow pressed the point, and still all Violet would say was “Yes” — and not a word more.

Of the school itself, little is known for now. How many teachers and students it has, what it teaches, who has led it: on none of this is there any clear word.

Violet’s origins, her dealings with her family and her exhibitions are told under Violet's parents, the Upstart Gallery and Lili Fairfax.