Cady Wells

American, (1904–1954)

Cady Wells was born in Southbridge, Massachusetts in 1904. He moved to New Mexico in 1932 and almost immediately began studying under Andrew Dasburg, who was his mentor for the next several years. He developed his own semi-abstract style and used it to show the natural forms and repeating style of the southwest landscape in watercolor. In 1941, Wells entered the United States Army where he worked with topographic maps and returned to Santa Fe in 1945. He donated his extensive collection of santos to the Museum of New Mexico in 1951 and he continued to paint until his death in 1954.