Jeanne Wells

About the Artist

I am not so interested in a photography which shows the viewer what we see – but rather how we see. Imperfection, perfection, tiny overlooked detail. Any harmony is momentary, any strife soon left behind. Rather than the conceptual, I choose the organic, the intuitive, the concrete objects of the world around me as they present themselves.

For the past thirteen years I have mainly used antiquarian and alternative methods: big cameras, film, tintypes, glass plates, and photogravures. I grind my own chemicals and mix them by hand. I flow emulsions onto glass and aluminum and apply pigments with brushes. In the case of The White Sutra, I have used the printmaker's ink and tarletan, polymer plates, and an intaglio press.

Why this difficult path in the age of technology? The perfection I seek is an emotional perfection rather than technical perfection. The real joy for me is in the work of the hands, in the craft and the process. I love to follow the image as it evolves and morphs and mingles with the mystery to find its own voice.

I hope that you enjoy my work. Each print or plate is, I hope, an expression of gratitude, for beauties always threatening to pass beyond expression.


Jeanne Wells
2016