Pareidolia: "Zoo" for Abstract Creatures: Subseries of Vibrant Night (Light Painting Landscapes)

I have specialized in landscape light painting photography since 2013. My primary focus has been on nature areas of the American Southwest, mainly Texas -- and includes human-made structures or objects in or by them. This has formed a substantial, long-term series/body-of-work that I call “Vibrant Night,” both for its uncommon stylistic approach to nature’s night (which I stylize expressionistically in vibrant colors and at times a bit otherworldly or surreal) – and also for the other meaning of “vibrant” which is alive with vigor and energy -- (which, to me, is consistent with a Gaian world or even animism.) Mostly I use lights of different color temperatures (during long exposures) and extensive post-processing to convey my vision: I transform what was there either to freshen an icon scene or -- even better -- to reveal the hidden beauty of a nondescript subject. Or to show what arose from darkness to evoke my awe. Metaphorically my work reminds me that everything – including people – can seem different if seen in a different light. This encompassing body-of-work "Vibrant Night" is composed of "subseries" based on specific terrains, topics, or narratives -- all analogous to book chapters (including very specific "studies" within them.) The current presentation focuses on pareidolia: the illusion of things appearing as something else (e.g., seeing faces in clouds.) It's one way the brain deals with ambiguous patterns and has long been a part of art for both artists and viewers . Also, highly creative people and artists can readily summon it. This subseries offers the best visual metaphor for the vibrancy theme of everything seeming alive and striving in nature. Indeed, I've published previous narratives using this topic on LensCulture. Here, I've broadened the sources of pareidolia beyond trees/botanicals. And, since some people felt that previous fantasies involving "aliens" spoiled the art for them, I use a different concept here to repurpose some of the same material: the notion of artistically abstract creatures. This introduces more whimsy which could be appropriate for a children's book that would not only entertain both kids and adults, but also use art to stimulate the development of visual imagination. As the proposed book would do, the best way to enjoy this show is merely know I saw something pareidolic about these subjects and see if you can discern anything yourself before looking at the titles. I have ordered them from most readily pareidolic to more abstractly so. My titles have a question mark after them to signify that your interpretation is as valid as mine. My portfolio site ( www.LensCulture.com/ron-levy ) has more examples of this subject, its context, and further discussion based on my neuropsychological background.