©Dinah Wells Click for larger image!

Dinah Wells began painting insects three years ago. She is interested in insects as both scientific and artistic subjects. Their great diversity offers abundant opportunity to explore color, shape, and pattern. Unlike much zoological illustration, Wells' paintings are imbued with light and dimension. They can be seen as a cross between fine art and scientific illustration and serve to reveal the artistic beauty of the subjects. Her work is a refutation of the “insect as enemy” bias in our culture.

Wells gathers reference material from a variety of sources, including the insect collection at the Peabody Museum, field guides and photographs found online (when permission is granted), her own photographs of insects found locally, and dead specimens collected by friends. Either drawing from life with the aid of a dissecting scope, or from photos, Wells insists on anatomical accuracy, although she will sometimes alter colors to suit her.

Wells holds a B.A. from St. John’s College (Annapolis, MD) and an M.S. from Fordham University (Bronx, NY) where she studied vertebrate and invertebrate zoology and insect behavior. She studied painting with Lou Bonamarte for many years. She is a member of the Connecticut Watercolor Society, the Guilford Art League, the Connecticut Entomological Society, and the Connecticut Valley Mycological Society. She is a licensed electrical contractor in Guilford.

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