The Artist’s Magazine – October 2019

36 Artists Magazine October 2019

Build DRAWING BOARD

Haveyoueverseenpigschasinga pirateshipwhileyou’re

gazingdreamilyintotheclouds?Haveyourbedsheetsever

lookedliketheywerewinkingatyou?Haveyouobserved

stereospeakersoranupside-downradiosmilingatyou

(above)?OurbuddyWikipediatellsmethis“seeingfacesin

objects”apparitioniscalledpareidolia.

pareidolia* noun(par·ei·do·lia| \per-ī-dō-lē-):

a psychologicalphenomenoninwhichthemindrespondstoa

stimulus,usuallyanimageora sound,byperceivinga familiar

pattern where none exists

Pareidolia is a way in which we can see the world. Seeing,

as opposed to looking, is an active exercise. We look and

then walk away. Seeing, however, is being present and in

the moment. Seeing gives us the chance to be attentive

participants in the world around us. In response to seeing,

we can react by taking photos or quickly drawing in our

sketchbooks for future reference.

Over the last few years, I’ve used the world around me

and the phenomenon of pareidolia as a source of visual

inspiration. Here’s how I’ve applied it to my art practice—

and how you can begin to notice more in your day-to-day

life and put your observations into action in your own art.

A NEWCREATIVEMOMENTUM

I sometimesexperienceartist’sblockandhavetrouble

maintainingmycreativemomentum.I’vetrieddifferent

approachestobreakthecycle,suchasgoingtothegym,

practicingyogaandreading,butthebestantidoteI’ve

foundisa changeofscenery.

I grewupinNewYorkCity.Thecityisrichinculture,

butit canbeoverwhelmingandeasilydistracting.Over

thelastfewyears,I’vestartedgoingonlonghikes,andI’ve

discoveredthecreativepowerofnature.Natureiswildand

unpredictable. The leaves fall and a branch can trip you up.

Moss grows in unexpected places and creates tiny visible

and invisible ecosystems. While scrambling over fallen trees

and roots, I noticed texture, texture, texture everywhere.

I like to go-go-go when I’m outdoors, so to keep my

momentum—and to track all I observe—I take photos

instead of busting out my sketchbook. I also need to

take the time to concentrate, so I take photos to study and

“see” better later. I started to see things everywhere in my

photos, including faces and animals in the bark of trees.

Once I started looking for it, I found the phenomenon of

pareidolia everywhere, and it started to change my work.

I began to incorporate natural elements, textures and

animals into my drawings and paintings.

PAREIDOLIA

Seeing Things in Things

GIGI CHEN reveals what she observes in inanimate objects

and how it lends a fresh take on her art.

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