Jonathon Wells

Earth Cuts

November 5, 2010 - January 5, 2011

I am an artist who is trained as a scientist. My creative work brings together a scientific viewpoint with the urge to create and imagine worlds we don't typically see. These landscapes with a view of the geology that lies below the land are what I call "photo-geologic composites."

Scientific inquiry leads me to search for answers to questions about the earth we live on:

How did the shallow earth layers form to be the way they look today?

What does the earth look like just below highly populated locations?

Does the geology below reflect in some way on the collective character of the populations that live there?

I also search for answers to questions specific to the science of geology that I am most passionate about — the study of groundwater known as hydrogeology:

What does the area where groundwater comes from look like?

What do the risks of certain land uses to groundwater look like?

I find myself interested in creating photo-geologic composite images of both urban settings and sites where we've left our mark on the earth. Once I've decided on a site and begun to imagine a geologic picture, my process involves months of research: I comb through scientific data and reports, I research the land surface to determine the best angle, lighting and transect to photograph the chosen panorama of landscape. To translate my imagined surface and subsurface view into a photo-geologic composite, I use the computer to create an image that blends my interpretation of the land with my imagination of the site based on data. The parallel paths of scientific questioning and artistic expression are integral to the creation of these images.

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Jonathon Wells is an artist and scientist who currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Born in the Northeast, he has always had a passion for the landscape, which translated into his background as a geologist. After earning a graduate degree in geology at Boston University, he worked in environmental consulting as both a geologist and hydrogeologist for more than a decade. Pursuing his passion for landscape photography at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York City, Wells found a way to combine his two passions--geology and landscape photography-- in a single image that he refers to as a photo-geologic composite. He has worked for the past eight years building a body of work that includes an urban and environmental series as well as images inspired by the land and geology. http://www.earthexposure.net/