Similarities in the Art Swap

I've been studying our entries for the deKooning-Rauschenberg art swap. Liz Crain's is on the left, mine is on the right.

We had no idea what the other person would choose to send, but look at the similarities. Consider:

• Both have similar color schemes: mainly purple with bits of green, teal, and ivory throughout.
• They both have black lines for details. (Click on Liz's bottle to enlarge her image to see them.)
• Both have circular elements. Look at the circle in the upper right corner of my drawing -- doesn't it resemble the handle of Liz's wand and the spots on the bottle?
• Both have playful themes: soap bubbles and music.
  

Despite their obvious differences (2D vs. 3D, paper vs. ceramic), they are remarkably similar. Especially when I think of some of the other items that I considered sending that would have been wildly different.

Interesting. I wonder how that happened.