Terry Frishman

Artist Statement

Shifting Perspectives

I am stunned and awakened by the raw beauty of what is hidden in plain sight, previously overlooked and even stepped on. From fantastical creatures gazing at stars or kissing, to abstract otherworldly landscapes that unexpectedly appear like paintings in front of me wherever I walk, I am in awe of the magical, accidentally found, everyday world around us.

Like the Surrealists and abstract artists before me, I question and challenge perceptions of reality and our choices of what we see. My work is intended to tap into our creative unconscious. By opening eyes and minds to seeing differently, we can suspend our default understanding and shift habitual perspectives.

Meaningful shapes, patterns, scenes and faces materialize out of random textures and objects on our streets. While most Pareidolia Art focuses on seeing faces in objects, like a face in the moon or cloud formations, my free-associated abstract subjects range more broadly to include characters, philosophical themes and stories.

Much of what I photograph is temporal. In just moments, the wind, rain, sun or a person's foot can cause selected images to shift or disappear.

Three optional clues -- Title, Source and Elements -- provide a portal to additional layers of meaning and engagement, after viewers embrace their own perspective.

My abstract photographs capture and celebrate Elements made by people and nature, as they randomly appear, in their untouched, unchanged glory. All are a metaphor for the overlooked.

My art is about being more present, experiencing wonder and shifting familiar thinking.