John Niles Wells

It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of John N. Wells, 1959-2024., founder of the Field Lab and friend to humanity. John was born on the 8th of April 1959 in Oak Park Illinois. Upon graduating from high school, John studied design at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. After his time in Greensboro, John moved to New York City in 1986 to pursue a career in photography. He began assisting fashion photographer Bruce Weber shortly after arriving in Manhattan where he lived on Elizabeth Street in the east village. After a year with Weber, John began assisting photographer Chris Callis. Chris was a very technical photographer and John was right at home as he possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of things technical. John was a consummate tinkerer. In 1988 he began building kinetic sculptures out of old television components and jokingly referred to himself as a “Televisionary”. His pieces were sought after by collectors and his work was used by MTV for station I.D. spots as well as in numerous advertising campaigns. John left Manhattan and moved into his great grandfather’s historic home in Spencertown, New York. Fire destroyed the home in 2006, after which he painstakingly restored the structure and created a simple life for himself. John was interested in life off the grid and made a trip to Wet Texas in 2008 to visit a couple that were developing solar technology. He was so taken by the West Texas Landscape that he made the decision to move there and begin a new chapter in his life, He committed himself to living off the grid. He built a compound and dubbed it “The Field Lab”. He worked tirelessly on the experiment. He started a blog and shared his triumphs and defeats with his sizeable audience as he worked on his project of sustainability. John shared not only his antics but also his data with his blog and YouTube followers. His generosity with information no doubt helped many pursue a similar lifestyle. John lived life on his own terms. His 15 years in West Texas brought him immeasurable joy. He had friends and pets, the most recent being a beautiful longhorn named Bennito. John was a very private individual and was a fiercely loyal friend. His dry sense of humor and compassionate nature will certainly be missed.