Scribbled Lives Week 26—Pareidolia

Pareidolia (pronounced per-ˌī-ˈdōl-yə) is the tendency to perceive a specific image in an ambiguous visual pattern. It is the human ability to see shapes or make pictures out of randomness. Think of the Rorschach inkblot test or an image you see while cloud watching.

Now, where to begin? I hauled out a stack of painted papers hoping to find an image that appears but is not intended. While rummaging, I came across a shadowy figure. I showed it to my husband, who exclaimed, “That’s Aunt Verna!”. Hmmm…well, yes, it’s her build and her hair.

It’s Aunt Verna’s birthday and, at 98, she’s as feisty as ever. To thrive in a male-dominated field, she developed attitude. During World War II, she served as a photographer in the Royal Canadian Air Force. CTV interview with Verna LeFurgey.

We imagine this is a snapshot of Aunt Verna on reconnaissance to capture secret photos. She’s under the shadowy protection of a military plane as she covertly cycles into a minefield of words. We’re sure there’s a coded text to decipher in the inky ground cover!

Pasted paper, graphite, and dilute sumi text on Arches Text Wove, unretouched. Caption added with Staedtler pigment liner.

This was an unusual prompt, and there was lots of hilarity as we dreamed up the intrigue on this pareidolia!

Have you come across any pareidolia?