Why This? by Jan Hathaway
I was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1951, and lived in Alabama until the early 1980s. Starting in 1973 I began to consider myself a Surrealist, and took part in the activities of a like minded group of artists, writers and musicians, the "Glass Veal" Group which originated in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and later continued in Birmingham. In 1983 I moved to Mississippi, then to Tennessee, and (in 1988) to Hawaii, where I live today. I have participated in the activities of the Surrealist Movement in the U.S. since 1988.

I use original photographic images of natural subjects, such as plants, skies and facades of buildings, which are processed and digitally printed. Multiple images are cut out, hand-colored to add additional richness and texture, and then assembled to create collage, many including a three-dimensional structure. This work sustains my long-term interest in creating two-dimensional and sculptural collage.

Strongly influenced by coincidence, humor, feelings and desire, my collages are contributions to surrealism’s ongoing revolution. I want them to encourage reflection about the relationship between nature and culture, handwork and technology, the Marvelous and the everyday.

The collage on this site represent work from over a twenty-year period. Each of the small versions may be clicked to see an enlarged view.

I may be contacted by sending email to jan@jhathaway.com