Pareidolia: I Draw The Images I See In Stains

Have you ever heard of Pareidolia? It’s the psychological phenomenon that occurs when we look at the clouds, and we see animals or when someone sees Jesus in a piece of toast! For me, it was coffee stains, wine, or anything you can make a smudge with! I would see incredible worlds inside a stain, and I decided to make it my signature art medium.

It all started while traveling in the Amazon Jungle throughout South America with only a rucksack and having to leave behind all my paintings tools. One day, after many nights in the jungle of Guatemala attending ayahuasca ceremonies where I had the chance to discover the healing properties of this native remedy, whose Quechua name means “Vine of the Soul,” I felt a huge urge to paint, but I had no material with me! I was offered some coffee to share with the Shaman and his family and by accident, spilled a little drop of it on the wooden table.

I immediately began to see drawing ideas appearing in the drop of coffee. I said that to Shaman – he smiled and said that perhaps the ‘medicine’ was still showing me some secrets. One stain of coffee dried, and I asked Shaman if he did mind if I drew on the stain of coffee on his table. He laughed, saying to go ahead. I started doing the intricate drawings that I saw. The more I painted, the more I felt that my unique art was healing me. I understood that the work of that precious plant, ayahuasca, could not fix any of your problems if you were not ready to continue the healing journey independently and train your mind to see the beauty around you, the obvious one as well as the hidden.

I continued working with this drawing technique, which I named Pareidolic Art, and it took me to become an artist exhibiting visual arts all over the world for the last seven years. I would love to share the story with you in the hope of inspiring people in finding their own unique voice and drawing inspirations. Attached are some artworks I have made with the pareidolic technique.

More info: maggiostudio.com