The Ohio Artist Registry (OAR) is an exciting opportunity for artists to share their work, connect with the creative community, and establish an online presence—all on a free, virtual platform! The OAR encourages artists working in all art forms, throughout Ohio and beyond,  to create a profile, which allows them to better promote themselves and their work. Being listed in the OAR provides artists with new opportunities to share their work with clients, galleries, patrons, and audiences. A listing in the OAR does not confer an endorsement, approval, or verification by the Ohio Arts Council.
For more information, contact Kathy Signorino, artist programs director, at kathy.signorino@oac.ohio.gov or 614-728-6140.

2024 Ohio Artist Registry Juried Exhibition

John Weller

PhotoWell Fine Art Photography
Home 820 Stonebridge Dr. County: Hamilton
Cincinnati Ohio 45233 United States Home Phone: 5134670307 Website: PhotoWell Fine Art Photography

Bio

John Weller’s passion for photography began quite by accident when he purchased a digital camera for his wife’s birthday in 2004. Largely self-taught, he has supplemented his education attending workshops by Stephen Johnson and John Paul Caponigro. After nearly 30 years working in the technical fields of engineering and network administration he decided to pursue photography as a full time endeavor in 2012. The experience of serenity, far to rare in our lives, finds a voice in John’s work. Simple scenes captured in soft light lay the foundation. John further refines these moments to express how it felt to be at that place at that time. Particularly attracted to water, in all of its forms, John is frequently found at water’s edge in early morning light, creating memories of moments of serene beauty. John shows his award winning photography at juried art shows throughout the midwest and online at https://jfweller.com. In addition to his own work, John leads workshops in Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop. He chaired the board of directors at the Artist Lounge from 2014 to 2018. John currently serves as the Art Director for the Vinoklet Art and Wine Festival. John lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife Lisa and their three cats. He has five children, all (thankfully), grown and living on their own. He has five grandchildren; who he loves to spoil and then give back to their parents.

Artist Statement

As an artist, my primary goal is to create art that elicits an emotional response, The mood I try to convey is one of calmness, serenity, tranquility – perhaps the Japanese word “wa” describes it best. Moments of harmony, peace and balance (the definition of “wa”), are far to rare in our lives but within them lie the seeds of contentment.

Water, a shapeless, colorless substance, makes a beautiful mirror for the shapes and colors around it. Fog is rich in mood; it is atmosphere that creates “atmosphere”. Water creates symmetries. Fog tames chaos. Together, or apart, they promote the poetic beauty of simplicity, which leads naturally to feelings of balance and harmony.

My photographs are not documentary in nature. I am not really all that interested in what the scene actually looked like. For me, the photograph is the raw material that I will modify as needed to document how the moment felt. It is not that I believe that I can improve upon nature itself; but the translation of a 3-dimensional world, experienced with all five senses, into a 2-dimensional visual experience requires … well … some translation.

My camera is my paintbrush. It is the tool that paints the scene. My computer contains my paints – I use them to set the tone, the color, the contrast, and the mood of my art. With these tools I create my memories of moments of beauty and serenity and then preserve them with archival materials.