Elsewhere Was Here

Elsewhere Was Here is a 61cm × 122cm original work by Jason Hatchell, created with spray paint, acrylic, graphite and varnish on canvas.

Every place is elsewhere at some point. Okinawa used to be elsewhere. Now it is home. America is where I am from, and Spain is where I am going next. The places themselves may not change, but our relationship with them does.

The flowers bring the hope of something new, but also the good memories that remain after life has worked you over. Flowers are beautiful, but temporary by nature. Perhaps that is part of what makes them meaningful.
Life is much the same. People, places, arrivals, departures — all temporary gifts. Flowers bloom, fade, and give way to something else. Beauty can appear from within grit and chaos. And it can be neither of these, too.

I finished this painting in Okinawa, just before leaving for Spain. Before I came here, Okinawa was elsewhere. Now I am here. And one day, I suppose, this place will be elsewhere again.

Elsewhere was here. And someday, here will be elsewhere.