PAI Creator - Patterns from Photographic Image Replication

PAI Creator, or Photo Anagram™ Image Creator, is an iPhone/iPod touch application for creating image patterns from a single source photograph.  The idea is drawn from a word anagram whereby the characters of a word are rearranged to form new words, for example; tea, ate and eat.  By using a single photograph users can make a variety of unique patterns from any image.

To me, the PAI creation steps into an alternative reality.  Why?  Because the final pattern array evolves a single source photograph into a journey of unexpected consequence.  When I see the emerging pattern, any similarity to the source image vanishes to become a work of art on its own.  The photo anagram image array touches a symmetrical nerve within my psyche where balance of form harmonizes with my visual perceptions of pattern order.  When I observe the world around me capturing photographs of interest, I search within a field of view for something distinctive and evolve that view into a mental picture before taking the originating image.  Often, this becomes a playful means to explore visual content to see where it might lead in a creative process of discovery.  This is clearly a “head trip” for me to exercise the mind and allow innovation to foster and take root.

On the surface, replicating a single photo may appear boring, or uninteresting; however, in my experience it is anything but uninteresting.  In fact, many of the final patterns are both surprising and beautiful in their inherent design. With each original photograph, a new and exciting pattern array develops becoming a fascinating trip into another realm of reality.

Tibetan Mandala

Photo Anagram™ Image Patterns

I find that many of the final patterns are reminiscent of Tibetan Mandala that convey a spiritual quality of meditative contemplation, strong structural geometry, or mysterious hues of color and design that draw the viewer ever deeper into the work.  The conceptual visualization of a photo anagram image is like a thread of fabric leading me into its warp and weft.  As I scrutinize the pattern and follow the lines, shapes and forms of the artwork, my preconceived notions are challenged requiring me to anticipate the unexpected.  The photo anagram image, like my other impressionistic collection, requires reinterpretation.  This reflective process to gain understanding from the work allows me to examine my own thought preferences through visual interrogation of my intent.  One might reasonably ask, why am I so interested in image replication?  What message am I conveying through the artwork?  What is its purpose?

What drives me to replicate an image into a photo anagram pattern is a simple child-like interest of pure curiosity to see what emerges.  This intrigue is pervasive within the way I look upon the world.  I have an unyielding curiosity for the visual world exploring cause and effect.

Each photo anagram image pattern tells a story by its own design.  The storyline is told not by me, but the viewer.  By using a single source image to form patterns, the finished arrays reveal geometric order within a context of natural phenomenon.  Nature replicates itself in a multitude of ways to create life.  Likewise, a photo anagram pattern comes to life from replication.  Viewers can interpret the patterns based on personal life experiences and visual preferences.  It is an internal thought process that gives way to the dialog of individual interpretation.

The photo anagram image process has the purpose of demonstrating that people can follow a journey of discovery using their own photographs.  By following the examples and using their own creative process, the viewer can have a direct artistic experience. It is my hope, through the use of the PAI Creator application, that individuals can use the process to gain insight into the art they view which would lead to a greater interest in art exploration. Within the coming months the PAI Creator application will soon be made available for the iPad/iPad 2 and other platforms with expanded features and capabilities.  A demonstration video is available on YouTube at