My training is in architecture. To design and produce a good building, common materials are chosen and composed and assembled to make spaces of some good use. I like to take common images and compose them, using simple rules, and see what happens — what kinds of things, what kinds of spaces, and what possible worlds might the new image suggest or reveal? I usually limit the number of images to two and compose them in alternating vertical strips. The juxtaposed images are sometimes dissimilar; sometimes there are affinities between them. I want both precision and a kind of openness. The things that are the most important are often hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity. Often we don’t notice something because we are used to it being right in front of our eyes. Images of ordinary things and spaces often don’t get noticed, but new and unusual juxtapositions of images of things and spaces often do get noticed, sometimes in a way that shocks and delights. Not everything — like love! — has to be completely understood. Mystery is everywhere, but you have to make the effort to look for it. For me, creating these images is both serious and fun, and you are welcome to take them either way, or both. It all begins with wonder.
Jeffrey Hartnett is a retired professor of architecture from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. After earning degrees from the University of Virginia and the University of Texas at Austin, he taught at various universities, from coast-to-coast, including for two years in China. He lives in Portland Oregon. jeffhartnett.weebly.com
