Eyes 1

5x7 inches, watercolor on mounted paper

$50, US shipping $7.50; email for international shipping

Seeing Faces: The dark side of pareidolia?

The tendency of random marks to resolve into something face-like can certainly be a bane to image makers; arrange your clouds or whatever in the wrong way and the "face" that pops out, once spotted, is a visual virus that brings the whole thing crashing down. Erase! Erase!

But what of all the things we see in actual faces? The suggestions of character, experience, awareness, culture, intent we instantaneously, and often erroneously, think we detect in any new face; the power of facial features to attract, charm, repel, fascinate, frighten… And all from strictly visual cues: Facial shapes, colors, proportions, textures—now there's a visual language; if only it were permissible to stare more openly! (Note to self: Bring dark glasses to airport next time…)

I try to transcribe this language with some simple marks on paper. The shapes are certainly compelling enough, no matter how much gets lost in translation.