On Finding Faces

Finding faces in unusual places such as clouds, rocks, and vegetation is a favorite practice of mine.

Faces can be found not only in the natural world, but also in such artificial objects as a peeling wall or a rumpled heap of clothes.

These faces tend to be human, but can also be those of animals. Sometimes part of one face is also part of another. Frequently these faces appear to be engaged in an utterance. In my experience, these utterances have always been soundless.

Upon finding a face, one can gaze at it exclusively, or seek other faces near about. Upon looking away from a face, one can readily find it again. Cloud faces tend to distort more rapidly, making them harder to find again.

These faces are profoundly expressive. Each has a unique character and mood. A face that shares part of itself with another face is distinctly different from the face with which it is conjoined.

One can return to a place and find again a face previously found in rocks, certain artificial objects, and, to some extent, vegetation. One is more likely to find again a face in a tree’s bark, for example, than in the arrangement of its leaves.

Wind can animate some faces, especially those found in clouds and vegetation. A face found in the arrangement of a tree’s leaves, for example, can suddenly appear to be speaking—although soundlessly, in my experience.

Finding faces in unusual places is a form of meditation that can lead to cosmic speculation, and has no known value in the marketplace.



.