I was out for a walk along the Arroyo de los Chamisos Trail in Santa Fe when I noticed this uniquely shaped tar patch along the paved path. It’s almost like a drip, but there’s something about the thicker drip at left and the two drips that run down on the right that made me think of something else …
Can you see a hand? A thumb and two long skinny fingers? Does it help you see it if I turn the tar 90° to the left? Does it help if I show this “hand” doing something hand-like, for example, playing a Steinway piano?
This is an example of pareidolia, which is the tendency to perceive a meaningful interpretation of a visual stimulus, which usually has nothing to do with the actual thing being seen. For example, seeing a face in the clouds, or in this case, a hand with the tar drips.