People are Turning Up – kirsten harris art

‘We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.’ Anais Nin

This is a blog about blobs! People are turning up in my art. I am not intending to paint people. In my quest to paint an abstract painting a few years ago, I discovered a phenomenon called ‘pareidolia’. You may have it too. It is that ability to see faces and other things in patterns – the clouds, tiles, blobs of paint…

It gets in the way if you want to be an abstract painter, as the brain constantly turns blobs of paint into things. So instead, I am experimenting with seeing where pareidolia will take me and people are turning up. I guess people are only to be expected as seeing faces is the most common form of pareidolia.

I don’t know what I think of this newly peopled work, and so aiming to stay curious as to what is emerging. Writing often helps me figure things out.

The second part of this experiment with pareidolia is to go with the flow, suspend judgement and simply play. Allow myself to make messy blobs with absolutely no intention as to the what, why or wherefore. To not impose imagery but to allow the imagery to appear.

As I follow this process I’m noticing a ‘stressed out’ feeling/voice/habit growling at me, worrying me, like background white noise, saying ‘this is not good enough, this is crap, you have an exhibition in May, stop messing about, plan it and do some decent work!’

Why do we torment ourselves?

Is simply enjoying painting without a care in the world not enough or even possible?

Following pareidolia is the idea that it’s ok to not know or plan and instead follow threads of intuition and intention. This in the moment way of approaching art might lead somewhere new.

In doing so, I am realising that all the drawing over the years has created a useful store of imagery in my muscle memory, including anatomy. Maybe every painting to date has led to this approach.

I really don’t know.

Painting is one area of life that we can be truly free, thank goodness! Despite all the controls constantly being imposed on us, we can be free to express ourselves with paint if we can find and allow the inner freedom required.

Perhaps employing a little courage to keep following this journey of pareidolia might lead me to my next exhibition?

Or… will I follow a more conventional root and decide on a theme and make a coherent collection for the Edinburgh gallery in May.

I am beginning to hope it is the former. Following uncertainty feels interesting and challenging.

For me, the invitation of pareidolia feels like an invitation into the unknown, the gap, the space between – that place where magic potentially resides. That place of freedom – enjoying the child like, not trying too hard, exploring new imagery, staying open to what emerges, allowing the formless to become the formed.

It feels exciting.

‘What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?’ Vincent Van Gogh

The following paintings are experiments following pareidolia undertaken since solstice. I really don’t know why the people are coming…

The Forest of My Life Already Lived – Work in progress

‘The Forest of My Life Already Lived‘. The title came into my mind whilst working on this, although it was more forest-like at an earlier stage. I’ve been obsessed with this piece the last two days and can’t relax for thinking about it, working on it all day Hogmanay and New Years Day. I will probably do more today. I both love it and hate it. This blog is an attempt to channel the noise buzz in my brain caused by this painting.

And of course horses turned up in The Forest of My Life Already Lived and in the Shining Ones! Not really surprising as I have spent the whole of 2024 drawing horses for

If Wishes Were Horses Tarot (link here if you are interested)