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James "J.P." Scott spent most of his life working on construction sites and commercial fishing boats in the bayou areas around New Orleans. Born south of New Orleans in 1922, he lived the last four decades of his life in the Mississippi delta town of Lafitte. He began tinkering with found materials to construct large fishing boats, houseboats, and barges in the 1960's. Though he never intended to sell his boats, passersby took notice, and soon his works were sought after. Mr. Scott worked slowly and deliberately on his elaborate creations; he probably completed several dozen boats, some of which were five feet long. He would adorn each boat with a variety of materials, including Mardi Gras beads, seashells, flags, cutouts from plastic soda bottles, and plastic toys. His boats have been featured in several museum exhibitions, including the 1996 show "Passionate Visions of the American South". Mr. Scott died in 2003. This page was updated with new works on May 20, 2010.
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