David Wells
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misterwells.bsky.social
David Wells
@misterwells.bsky.social
620 followers 2.1K following 820 posts
Artist//Teacher//Dad (he/him)

Observer of things, appreciator of stuff. Jack of all trades and master of several.

Other social media at https://linktr.ee/studiodwells
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misterwells.bsky.social
“Zombie no go go, unless you tell am to go
Zombie no go stop, unless you tell am to stop
Zombie no go turn, unless you tell am to turn
Zombie no go think, unless you tell am to think”
ICE agents at Kedzie and 38th Street in Chicago on Sunday October fifth.
October 13, 2025 at 4:06 PM
misterwells.bsky.social
Sooo… this happened tonight.

(Gates opened to reveal 15-20 ICE agents in full Stormtrooper mode, firing flashbangs and tear gas into a crowd of around 150 peaceful, if angry, protesters)
Protesters fleeing a cloud of tear gas into front of the ICE detention facility in Broadview, Illinois. Armed and helmeted ICE agents are visible in the background
September 20, 2025 at 1:59 AM
misterwells.bsky.social
Good stuff to know for everyone.
September 18, 2025 at 10:51 AM
misterwells.bsky.social
Oh Brave New World, that hath such people in it…
Quote from an article in the Guardian: Vance probably won't see the issues. He is believed to be staying in an 18th-century manor house owned by the lightbulb millionaire Johnny Hornby and his wife, Pippa, a London art patron and collector, who are friends of Cameron.
August 14, 2025 at 10:54 AM
misterwells.bsky.social
Just in case you were curious about what 10,000 pounds of cast glass looks like. (Or can look like)

Artist: Roni Horn, at the Art Institute of Chicago

#artsky @artinstitutechi.bsky.social
August 2, 2025 at 12:30 PM
misterwells.bsky.social
(For whoever needs it)

(And by “whoever”, I mostly mean me - though you are of course welcome to pass it on if it applies to you as well)

#ArtSky
An illustration / text illumination that reads “OUTLAST THE JOYLESS BASTARDS”. The background is a closeup of some moss on the forest floor. At the base of the drawing are simple portraits of Tom Holman, DJT Jr, JD Vance, and Steven Miller, all in states of decay with flowers and vegetation growing from their heads. The rest is a riot of flowers and other organic ornamental shapes.
July 26, 2025 at 2:45 PM
misterwells.bsky.social
choke choke

(a little bitty rebranding tool I made -
please share and give ‘em a call if you’re so inclined)
July 22, 2025 at 10:07 AM
misterwells.bsky.social
Caught #TatianaHargreaves and #AlisonDeGroot smoking in public the other day…
July 20, 2025 at 1:34 PM
misterwells.bsky.social
Some see things as they are and ask why. I see things as they are and ask “why not put googly eyes on them?”
A photo of four freshly cleaned cylindrical beige institutional trash cans in a hallway. The round half spherical lidded tops are resting inverted atop the cans (bins) Same trash cans as before, but with hastily scribbled in googly eyes courtesy of Markup on my iPhone, so that now they look like goofy screaming robots.
July 13, 2025 at 11:25 AM
misterwells.bsky.social
The Why Not Both? meme
July 12, 2025 at 4:59 PM
misterwells.bsky.social
For one possible avenue to fight back, may I propose a bit of a rebrand?

I think the good people at VisitFlorida need to hear how a brand new concentration camp affects tourists' image of their state, so I made a postcard to help. Feel free to copy and share!
A vintage style Florida postcard that reads “Visit FLORIDA The Concentration Camp State” …with a sunset view of a beach and palm trees in the background. In 1930s-50s style, the capital letters of FLORIDA are filled with an illustration, but it’s a photograph of bunk beds surrounded by chain link cages at the horribly named Alligator Alcatraz concentration camp. The legend at the bottom says Questions or concerns? Email PR@visitflorida.org or call + 1(850) 488-5607. (Press 1 to speak with a representative)
July 12, 2025 at 1:26 PM
misterwells.bsky.social
Sometimes I do animations, sometimes I do sketchbooks. Sometimes I animate my sketchbooks.

#artsky #flora #animation
July 12, 2025 at 11:46 AM
misterwells.bsky.social
Okay, here’s one. Thought of a few other versions for the caption - the runner up was

“Home of the world famous Detention Center™ - remember, if it’s a Detention Center center it CAN’T be a concentration camp!”

… but that got a bit long. Maybe as the legend on the back. ;)
A vintage style postcard with bluebonnets and everything that reads: Greetings from TEXAS Home to more Concentration Camps than you’d think! The letters in TEXAS are filled in with various scenes from current detention centers, as well as one vintage landmark that resembles a guard tower, so I left that in. At the bottom, the legend reads “Questions or comments? Call Travel Texas at (512) 463-8422.
July 11, 2025 at 3:31 AM
misterwells.bsky.social
Wouldn’t it be interesting if Florida’s official state tourism agency found out exactly what people thought about their brand new concentration camp? (I made a thing - feel free to copy and share)

[ @hcrichardson.bsky.social , you just asked in your video to be tagged in any new memes, right? ]
A vintage style Florida postcard that reads “Visit FLORIDA The Concentration Camp State” …with a sunset view of a beach and palm trees in the background. In 1930s-50s style, the capital letters of FLORIDA are filled with an illustration, but it’s a photograph of bunk beds surrounded by chain link cages at the horribly named Alligator Alcatraz concentration camp. The legend at the bottom says Questions or concerns? Email PR@visitflorida.org or call + 1(850) 488-5607. (Press 1 to speak with a representative)
July 10, 2025 at 11:07 PM
misterwells.bsky.social
Huh, why am I not surprised at this one headline I found while doing a search for news of this? :/
Google search results for "ice minneapolis". The Fox station's headline is "Large crowd gathers in Minneapolis after false rumors of ICE raid". All other news sources are confirming the event
June 3, 2025 at 6:47 PM
misterwells.bsky.social
Here's an animated roll through of the whole thing, playing with extension / compression of each page spread as it rolls by.

(The original soundtrack was Cisco Kid when I posted it on Those Big Social Media Places That Have Rights to Stuff. Choose your own tune, lmk if it works?)

#animation #art
May 15, 2025 at 11:48 AM
misterwells.bsky.social
Anyone else grow up with Ellen Raskin's books?

Just me?

Anyway, some of her illustrations made their way into this sketchbook of mine from a while back. Along with a few other things.

#artsky #sketchbook #drawing
the inside cover and first page of a small gridded Field Notes sketchbook. The title, "Nothing Ever Happens On My Block" in 1890s poster block lettering is taken from a children's book of the same name. The pages are organized with a horizon line in the middle - buildings and shapes and things are above, with rootlike mechanical plumbing and abstract linear forms branching below. above the line - squiggly abstract totems, plant forms, and a family of ghosts. below the line - branching curves that suggest electrical wiring, subways, infrastructure, etc. The kid from the book sits and just complains that everything is boring where he lives, while any number of happenings go about behind him. Here, he's sitting in the middle of the sketchbook page with raindrops coming down. There's a weird hooded figure with a beak protruding and a water tower amid other pastel colored abstract boxy forms and circuitry. The thief, a prominent character in the book, faces off against a spindly legged bird figure. Other building shapes are there, along with very spiraling abstract clouds, a drawbridge, and some mechanical chicken legs.
May 15, 2025 at 11:37 AM
misterwells.bsky.social
For my next trick, I'm going to change

"Wow, I'm so glad I got up early today - I've gotten so much done and I still have plenty of time to enjoy this second cup of coffee"

to

"CRAP! I've got to leave in three minutes and I still haven't packed a lunch!"

with a simple glance at my phone!
The cartoon character Bullwinkle J Moose, about to pull a rabbit out of a hat.
May 9, 2025 at 8:00 PM
misterwells.bsky.social
Another scribble sketchbook - but in the sense of "having a place and to drawing mindlessly and automatically within a given set of rules when I don't have any ideas in the morning".

Starter sketchbook? Ignition sketchbook? Hmmm, have to think about that one.

#art #drawing #sketchbook #process
Page from an abstract sketchbook consisting of distributed patterns all based on squares, with some tentacles and eyeballs on stalks here and there. Medium is colored pencil, gel pen, whatever gets the job done. Mood is cheerful yet maybe a teeny bit menacing? It's hard to write a detailed alt text for each one of these. A bit like verbally describing a passage of instrumental music - it's possible, but tedious and time consuming. Even if you really take the time to write a great description of what you're listening to, sometimes it misses the point. Page from an abstract sketchbook consisting of distributed patterns all based on squares, with some tentacles and eyeballs on stalks here and there. Medium is colored pencil, gel pen, whatever gets the job done. Mood is cheerful yet maybe a teeny bit menacing? It's hard to write a detailed alt text for each one of these. A bit like verbally describing a passage of instrumental music - it's possible, but tedious and time consuming. Even if you really take the time to write a great description of what you're listening to, sometimes it misses the point. Page from an abstract sketchbook consisting of distributed patterns all based on squares, with some tentacles and eyeballs on stalks here and there. Medium is colored pencil, gel pen, whatever gets the job done. Mood is cheerful yet maybe a teeny bit menacing? It's hard to write a detailed alt text for each one of these. A bit like verbally describing a passage of instrumental music - it's possible, but tedious and time consuming. Even if you really take the time to write a great description of what you're listening to, sometimes it misses the point. Page from an abstract sketchbook consisting of distributed patterns all based on squares, with some tentacles and eyeballs on stalks here and there. Medium is colored pencil, gel pen, whatever gets the job done. Mood is cheerful yet maybe a teeny bit menacing? It's hard to write a detailed alt text for each one of these. A bit like verbally describing a passage of instrumental music - it's possible, but tedious and time consuming. Even if you really take the time to write a great description of what you're listening to, sometimes it misses the point.
May 5, 2025 at 10:59 AM
misterwells.bsky.social
Life Transition news: the pink recycling bins behind the building next door will soon be crossing the Rainbow Bridge to the Great Hypothetical Repurposing Into Decking Material themselves. Farewell, pink ones. You always were there for us with a burst of color, even on the greyest of days.
Eight recycling bins lined up between a very old beat up and overflowing rusty blue dumpster on the left, and a brand new about to be used orange dumpster on the right. The four beat up pink recycling bins on the left have been around for the last ten years at least, soon to be replaced by the four brand new burnt orange bins on the right.
May 3, 2025 at 2:08 PM
misterwells.bsky.social
Seen and noted.
Photo of a silhouetted Canada goose menacingly perched on top of a standing dead tree trunk about 30 feet up.
May 3, 2025 at 9:19 AM
misterwells.bsky.social
You’re nothing but a ….
LIMITED RESTOCK FREEZE DRIED MEAT BUCKET (Headline of a prepper FB ad I screenshotted a while back, featuring, yes, a freeze dried meat bucket)
May 1, 2025 at 3:33 PM
misterwells.bsky.social
(*singular sensation, every little step she takes)
(**thrilling combination, every move that she makes)
Photo catch of a train with container cars going along an elevated railed past a parking lot in front of a couple of high rise apartment buildings. The top left and bottom right containers are a bright pink with ONE branded on them, hence the ready made Chorus Line reference.
April 29, 2025 at 12:34 PM
misterwells.bsky.social
View through a chain link fence of the Eisenhower Expressway in Chicago, with a semi in the foreground and a graffiti covered embankment towards the back. The space is cut up and flattened by the trunks and branches of several “weed trees” that have sprouted up along the fence line. A weathered white wooden fence with peeling paint runs across the bottom third of the picture, in front of a stuccoed back wall of a gas station. Two wires curve down from the top, and an apartment building and other urban details are visible in the background. The picture is mostly composed of interlocking rectangles, with just a hint of sky suggesting space. Lines of a bright yellow bike locked up to a curving bike rack interact with the lines of a steel pedestrian barricade in front of the face fountain in Chicago’s Millennium Park. Blocks of wood threaded in strands onto iron rebar. This was originally a sculpture made from a dead tree that finally fell because of weathering.
April 26, 2025 at 11:51 AM
misterwells.bsky.social
Structures and lines

(You can take pictures *of* stuff? But you can also just be on the lookout for lines that cross the frame in interesting ways)

#photography #landscape #composition #observation
The bare interior of a hospital gift shop under renovation. A pneumatic hose of some sort dangles from the ceiling and snakes across the floor. Construction tarps cover most of the superstructure that arcs over the lawn in front of the Frank Ghery bandshell in Chicago’s Millennium Park. The dark lines of the tarp seams interact with the more solid curved steel tubing in interesting ways. Vines in sharp focus crisscross in front of half of an elliptical raked sand trap on a golf course. The background is blurred, with the bright yellow green of new spring growth caught in the sharp golden early morning light. View from a balcony in the Providence Athenaeum down towards a chart spread out on a wooden table, through heavy cast iron pipes of a railing and the delicate curried structure of a Japanese paper umbrella hung from the ceiling for decoration.
April 26, 2025 at 11:14 AM