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 existsPareidolia 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.e