Fishin' Hole

This latest piece provides a good side-by-side comparison of my pareidolia process from beginning to end.

As you can see, this underpainting is highlighted by two layers of wet paint worked into the random marks and impressions of the plaster. When dry, the underpainting looks like a completely chaotic and unfamiliar alien world.

But when you do look at it, your brain will generate a "Rapid Brain Response" (RBR) within milliseconds as an automatic response to the apparent chaos. This process is an integral fixture in our cognitive architecture, enabling humans to make immediate sense of our environment and those in it.

For the purposes of this painting, my RBR focused on what looks like deeply grooved bark on the side of tree at the far right of the canvas. From there, I quickly pieced together other key visual elements that eventually led me to a solitary day of fishing.