Local Artist in National Arts Contest Quarter-Finals
‘A Photo of a Crack in the Sidewalk Becomes an Aerial View of a Riverfront Beach’
By Steve Watkins
ADVANCE EDITOR
Local artist Sue Willis has reached the quarterfinals of The People’s Artist arts competition, a national program sponsored in part by actor Johnny Depp to raise money for art opportunities, education, and training. The winner’s work will be exhibited at a gallery show in Los Angeles and featured in ArtForum Magazine. Willis, who has focused most recently on the art of protest, works in what she calls Multimedia Pareidolia.
Webster’s defines pareidolia as “the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern.”
Here’s how Willis explains how she used it in her work:
“I see surprising images in man-made objects and naturally occurring patterns and then photograph them,” she says. “Then with found items, acrylic paint, and pens, I create my art on top of there ‘pareidolia’ photos. For instance, a photo of a crack in the sidewalk becomes an aerial view of a riverfront beach.”
Voting closes Thursday, June 24 for this round in the People’s Artist competition. If you’d like to vote for Willis, and/or donate to the Art of Elysium arts organization, you can do it HERE.
More examples of Willis’s work:
***
Steve Watkins is editor of The FXBG Advance. You can find Steve Watkins Books, his author Substack page, HERE. You can find Pie & Chai Magazine, which Steve also edits, HERE. And you can contact him HERE.