Jonathon Wells

Bio

• Jonathon wells is both a photographer and geologist.

• Education
  
  Coursework in art, University of Minnesota, St Paul / Minneapolis, MN (2008)
  Artist Professional Toolbox, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts / Massachusetts, Boston, MA (2006).
  Coursework in visual arts, Mass College of Art and School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA (2003–2005)
  Certificate General Studies in Photography, International Center of Photography, New York, NY (2002).
  Master of Arts Geology, Boston University, Boston, MA (1995).
  Bachelor of Science Earth Science, Cum Laude, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA (1988).

• 2002 – present: Ongoing work on photography / geologic projects and freelance environmental consulting

About the Work

• "I am continuing to build my existing series while initiating new series at sites around the world where I identify a thought-provoking intersection of land use and underlying geology. I am committed to fostering dialog about human interaction with the earth through my work."- Jonathon Wells
• His statement: 

"My artwork combines views of the land surface and the underlying geologic layers into single digital images. I am trained as both a fine art photographer and as a geologist, which has enabled me to create photomontages with both surface and subsurface views. This unusual perspective offers a different point from which to consider landscape and contemplate a sense of place. I am grappling with the elemental questions: What is the relationship between humans and earth? What kind of relationship exists between our surface world and the earth layers below?

The creation of these photomontages is both an artistic and investigatory process. As a fine art photographer, I find my eye and imagination actively engaged in a specific urban or rural site or space—a New York City block, a gasoline station, a water well site on a wooded hillside. As a geologist, I am intrigued by the underlying geologic framework of that site, by the path of the groundwater flow, by the evidence of the modern world—the utilities, subways, even the pollution—that are marked into the earth.

My artistic process takes months of study and investigation. First, I search for both landscapes and geologic frameworks that intrigue me. I might spend days documenting a city block. To visualize the substrata, I will turn to old and new geologic surveys and maps, to utility maps and geologic field guides. I’ll pull off roadways to photograph rock exposures, follow road workers and underground cable repairs with my camera, waiting for an exposed opening—a “window”—that will allow me to capture a glimpse of what lies below us. Finally, I create the photomontage digitally, combining a documented landscape with the substrata below. In my exploration of both surface and subsurface views of the earth, I hope to offer images that allow viewers an intriguing way to contemplate both landscape and a sense of place. "

Jonathon Wells

South Shore Art Center

Interview