How to use a Blackwing pencil sharpener
Graphite, Video John Wells Graphite, Video John Wells

How to use a Blackwing pencil sharpener

A few years ago I had a company called J B Welly that sold luxury notebooks and writing instruments online. Blackwing was the brand of pencils I carried. They are the most fabulous, high-quality pencils around.

I used to make videos for J B Welly, and this is one of my favorites. As you might expect, it’s full of silly pencil puns.

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Fountain on Harvard Avenue East in Gouache
Gouache, Video John Wells Gouache, Video John Wells

Fountain on Harvard Avenue East in Gouache

This is a process video of a painting in gouache inspired by Harvard Ave. E., which is a beautiful street in the Harvard-Belmont Landmark District located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. This historic area was built in the early twentieth century by the wealthy and important families at the time. Today, the area is magical with its huge trees and lush gardens. The gouache painting was done on Arches hot press watercolor paper with Daniel Smith Gouache .

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King of Harperville (1992)
Video, Short Stories John Wells Video, Short Stories John Wells

King of Harperville (1992)

This is a short film I made in 1992 when I lived in Kansas. The actors are my friends, and the whole thing was filmed on a VHS camcorder. 1992 was long before digital video was invented, and editing was a real challenge. This version is the only one I seem to have, and it was all run through a video processor which makes it look posterized, but I don’t think it detracts from the story. We all had fun making this together and I’m very pretty proud if it. I hope you enjoy watching it! :)

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