Artist Pubs
John R Wells

John R. Wells (1861 - 1955) was active/lived in Ontario / Canada.  John Wells is known for Hollow and solid wood decoy carving, boat building.

John R. Wells (1861 - 1955) [1]

John Wells was a boat builder by trade and spent forty years as the foreman for Ackroyd Boat Co. [Toronto] (Engers 286). He hunted on Long Point and the St. Clair Flats [Ontario] where he encountered the carving influence of the Warin [see AskART] brothers' style. Wells carved both hollow and solid decoys* with heads attached to a raised neck seat extending from the chest. These decoys were well-carved and finished with flowing wing patterns and comb-painted bodies. Black ducks received further attention around the head which Wells scratch painted for a textured effect.

In addition to black ducks, Wells carved other species frequently hunted in the area: scaup, Canada geese, canvasbacks, mallards, pintails, redheads, shovelers and wigeon. Some of these decoys bear the stamp "JRW Maker" (Kangas 143). Because not all of Wells' lures are initialed and more decoys attributed to him have surfaced, it is difficult to estimate how many birds Well   ...  [Displaying 1000 of 2516 characters.]  Artist bio

Artist auction records

.  askART's database currently holds 106 auction lots for John R Wells (of which 105 auction records sold and 0 are upcoming at auction.)

Artist artworks for sale and wanted

.  There are 0 artworks for sale on our website by galleries and art dealers . There are 0 galleries and art dealers listing works of art by John R Wells as either "Wanted" or "For Sale" .

Research resources

.  askART lists John R Wells in 0 of its research Essays. John R Wells has 3 artist signature examples available in our database.

Similar artists

.  There are 24 similar (related) artists for John R Wells available:    Thomas Gelston,  Thomas Chambers,  Ken Anger,  Ferdinand Bach,  Rowley Horner,  Charles Magnus Bergman,  Obediah Verity,  Bert Graves,  Phineas Reeves,  Davey W (David) Nichol,  Charles Reeves,  William Southard,  Augustus Aaron Wilson,  Nathan F Cobb Jr,  Charles H Hart,  Lloyd J Tyler,  John Blair Sr,  Fred Allen,  Russ P Burr,  Jim Schmiedlin,  George Warin,  Charles Walker,  John Dilley,  William Bowman



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Facts about John R Wells

   Publications  Book References:  5
Magazine References:  0

The listed publications are derived from what askART has identified from our research for this artist and are intended as an additional tool for information. askART has derived Publications as an aid to members, but it is not necessarily a complete list.
5 Book References for John R. Wells
Year Author Title Pages Color
2010 Shaw, Robert Bird Decoys of North America: Nature, History and Art 304 Yes
2000 Engers, Joe The Great Book of Wildfowl Decoys 320 Yes
1992 Kangas, Linda and Gene Collector's Guide to Decoys 211 Yes
1988 Crandall, Bernard W. Decoying: St. Clair to the St. Lawrence 208 Yes
1987 Fleming, Patricia Traditions in Wood: A History of Wildfowl Decoys in Canada 179 Yes
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