About Jonathon Wells
Photo by Brandon Jones
Current Practice
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Trained as both a fine art photographer and as a geologist, Jonathon Wells has created scientifically accurate photo-geologic composites with both surface and subsurface views since 2002. He continues to build the existing Location, Environmental, and Extraction series at sites around the world where he identifies a thought-provoking intersection of land use and underlying geology. Wells’ artistic process takes months of study and investigation. First, he searches for both landscapes and geologic frameworks that intrigue him. He might spend days documenting a single city block. To visualize the substrata, Wells will turn to old and new geologic surveys and maps, to utility maps and geologic field guides. He’ll pull off roadways to photograph rock exposures, follow road workers and underground cable repairs with his camera, waiting for an exposed opening—a “window”—that will allow him to capture a glimpse of what lies below us. Finally, he creates the photo-geologic composite digitally, combining a documented landscape with the substrata below. |
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Art Resume
Solo Exhibitions |
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| 2017 | Schweinfurth Art Center, Auburn, NY, Bedrock Revealed: Geologic Landscapes |
| 2013 | Castleton University, Castleton, VT, Earth Exposure: Vermont |
| 2011 | Macalester College, St. Paul, MN, Earth Unseen |
| Mpls Photo Center, Minneapolis, MN, Earth Revealing | |
| 2010 | WorkSpace Gallery, Lincoln, NE, Earth Cuts |
| 2007 | Albertus Magnus College, New Haven, CT, Surface/Subsurface |
| U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Boston, MA, Split Exposures | |
| 2006 | Milton Academy, Milton, MA, Sub/Surface Construction |
| Atrium Gallery at WGBH, Allston, MA | |
Group Exhibitions (select) |
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| 2018 | D&R Greenway Land Trust, Johnson Education Center, Princeton, NJ, Layers of the Earth: From Core to Cloud |
| 2017 | Vermont State House, Montpelier, VT, Finding Yourself in Vermont |
| 2015 | Peter Projects Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, Inventory of Light: The Art of Systems Biology & Nanoscience, Website |
| 2014 | National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC, Imagining Deep Time, Catalog |
| SciArt Center, New York, NY, What Lies Beneath | |
| 2011 | Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN, Wide-Eyed: Panoramic Photographs |
| 2009 | Form + Content Gallery, Minneapolis, MN, Form + Content x 2 |
| 2005 | ArtSpace Gallery, Maynard, MA, Photography Now: Selections from the 2005 Massachusetts Cultural Artist Grant Awards |
| Danforth Museum of Art, Framingham, MA, New England Photographers 2005 | |
| The Griffin Museum of Photography. Winchester, MA, 11th Annual Juried Show | |
| 2004 | Creative Arts Workshop, New Haven, CT, FACT/FICTION |
| PH Gallery, New York, NY, DE/CONSTRUCT | |
Collections
Arcadis, Santiago, Chile
Bell Museum of Natural History, Saint Paul, MN
Bessemer Venture Partners, Larchmont, NY
Caspian Capital Management, New York, NY
Castleton College, Castleton, VT
Gradient Corporation, Cambridge, MA
Milton Hospital, Milton, MA
Macalester College, St. Paul, MN
Minnesota Geological Survey, St. Paul, MN
National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC
Nina Hale, Minneapolis, MN
Tufts University, Medford, MA
Weisman Art Museum, University of Minnesota, MN
Private collections
Presentations |
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| 2018 | Pennsylvania Bureau of Geological Survey, Middletown, PA |
| 2017 | Central New York Association of Professional Geologists, Auburn, NY |
| Temple University, Philadelphia, PA | |
| 2016 | Carleton College, Northfield, MN |
| 2015 | University of Minnesota, Improvising Ecosystems Project, St. Paul, MN |
| Minnesota Geological Survey, St. Paul, MN | |
| 2014 | Milton Academy, Milton, MA |
| SciArtCenter, New York, NY | |
| 2013 | Shrewsbury Library, Shrewsbury, VT |
| 2012 | Buckingham Friends School, Lahaska, PA |
| 2011 | Geological Society of America, Annual Meeting and Exposition - Exhibition Booth, Minneapolis, MN |
| Mpls Photo Center, Minneapolis, MN | |
| 2009 | St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN |
| 2007 | Albertus Magnus College, New Haven, CT |
Commissions |
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| 2020 | Newark Basin, Private Commission, Princeton, NJ | |
| 2016 | Poster - Northeast Section Meeting, Albany, NY, Geological Society of America | |
| 2014 | Private home in New Hope, PA | |
| 2009 | Private home in West Marin County, CA | |
Interviews |
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| 2018 | SciArt Center, Colloquium, July, website link | |
| 2013 | SciArt Magazine, Straight Talk, October Issue | |
Press |
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| 2014 |
New Scientist, "In the Beginning: How geology taught us to think deep" review by Jonathan Keats, October 6, 2014 website link |
| 2013 | Rutland Herald, " 'Earth Exposure': Where the Action is", visual art review, December 5, 2013 |
| 2011 | MNartists.org, "The View from Here", article by Camille LeFevre, February 17, 2011 website link |
| Minnesota Public Radio, art hounds, featuring Juliet Patterson talking about the exhibit, Earth Revealed, 02/17/11 website link |
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| 2006 | McQuaid, Cate, Review, The Boston Globe, Calendar, Choice, Gallery 11/23, “Jonathon Wells, ‘Sub/Surface Constructions”, November 23 |
Awards, Grants |
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| 2013 | Dave Bown Projects — 6th Semiannual Competition (Curators: Marisa Pascuci, Reto Thüring, Adelina Vlas) Honorable Mention. website link |
| 2008 | Nominee for the Baum Award for Emerging American Photographers |
| 2005 | Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Artist Grant Program finalist |
Publications |
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| 2020 | Image and explanation in, "Exploring the Invisible: Art, Science, and the Spiritual" by Lynn Gamwell, Princeton University Press, 2020. Figure 3-17, pages, 71-73. |
| 2014 | Cover image on, "Money, Money, Money | Water, Water, Water" by Jane Mead, Alice James Books, 2014. website link |
| 2011 | Photographs in “Re-Imaging the Galapagos.” Authored by Jil Evans in Turning Images in Philosophy, Science, & Religion: A New Book of Nature. Co-edited by Charles Taliaferro & Jil Evans. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2011. Figures 11.1, 11.2. website link |
| 2009 | Quodlibetica — writing, arts, criticism, Inaugural edition: Constellation 04: Wilderness, A Journey to Galapagos: A Photo Essay, written by Jonathon Wells, September 23, 2009, website link |
Science Resume
Certification |
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| 2016 | Professional Geologist, Pennsylvania |
| 2018 | Professional Geologist, New York |
UHL & Associates, Lambertville, NJ, Geologist, (part-time)
Geology Work Experience |
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| 2019 – present |
Geosyntec Consultants, Princeton, NJ, Senior Staff Geologist, Part-time |
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2013 — present |
UHL & Associates, Lambertville, NJ, Senior Hydrogeologist, Part-time |
| 1997 – 1999 |
Arcadis - Geraghty & Miller, Langhorn, PA, Staff Scientist |
| 1996 – 1997 |
Woodward - Clyde Consultants, Blue Bell, PA, Senior Staff Hydrogeologist |
| 1992 – 1996 |
Woodward - Clyde Consultants, Portland, OR & Seattle, WA, Senior Staff Hydrogeologist |
| 1989 – 1990 |
Weston Geophysical - Baker Environmental, Westboro, MA, Geologist |
Lecture |
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| 2010 | Light of Hope Home and School, Karate region of Naivasha, Kenya, Africa, The Water Cycle and A New Water Well |
Education |
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| 2002 | Certificate General Studies in Photography, International Center of Photography, New York, NY |
| 1995 | Master of Arts Geology, Boston University, Boston, MA |
| 1988 | Bachelor of Science Earth Science, Cum Laude, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA |