During the Spring 2020 pandemic lockdown, I was at my desk and flipped down the laptop lid after a long day of writing. There, against the wall, was an unfinished drawing I’d started a year before. I stared at it and a dozen faces glared right back at
me.
What was seemingly a huge and impossible task to complete soon became a very welcome distraction during lockdown.
Thus, I finished A Crowd of Basalt and was delighted to have it shown at a Cambridge, England gallery whilst the ink was still barely dry. My Hidden Creatures Art series of drawings has grown from there.
I have always noticed many faces around our world – in clouds, food, carpet patterns, sand, dirt, in stains such as a building’s patina, puddles, rocks, tree trunks and elsewhere – i.e. pretty much everywhere – but it wasn’t until 2019 that I realised this is a thing with a name.
It’s called pareidolia. I’m sure it’s a common tendency for humans to perceive faces in inanimate objects and places, which probably traces back to some survival skill intended to help early humans identify friends or foes in their very wild world.
However, some of us see more faces than others. My son counted 62 faces in my drawing Holly and The Ivy, which can be found under the tab Hidden Cambridge. I wonder – how many creatures do you spot in that drawing?
I hope you enjoy your visit to Hidden Creatures Art.
Donna McLuskie
(photo above taken by Richard Brochu-Williams)
© 2021 HIDDEN CREATURES ART
Hidden Creatures Art 
Hmm it seems like your blog ate my first comment (it was extremely long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I too am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to everything. Do you have any suggestions for beginner blog writers? I’d certainly appreciate it.
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Hi Boyd,
I’m going to find out what has been eating comments and, hopefully, locate your original comment, which I’d very much like to read.
Suggestions for blogging? I started blogging when I won Arts Council and British Council funding for two research trips to Iceland. Here’s a link to that site : https://guidetoiceland.is/connect-with-locals/donna5
That website’s admin helped me learn the technology behind creating posts. Wherever you blog, I suggest consulting the site admin with any questions. In my experience, they are very encouraging and helpful.
It’s best to write about what interests you and in a style that you like to read. I often research to enhance what I know about a topic and offer more information to readers. It’s also wonderful to include images. I blog here to promote my artwork and to offer deeper insights into how each piece came to be.
Blogs I enjoy most have a unifying theme and purpose. Dialogue generated through comments can be wonderful. I will try to figure out how to ensure that comments appear here promptly in future.
Best wishes with your blogging adventure!
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Wow that was odd. I just wrote an very long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyways, just wanted to say excellent blog!
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Hi Quincy,
Thanks so much and I don’t know what happened to your original comment but I’d love to see it and am investigating where it has gone. Maybe if it included any links it was deleted by the spam filter? I will seek advice and let you know.
I really enjoy blogging and am happy that you like my posts : )
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