Self Portrait 2020

Sarah Cain made this large ‘Self Portrait’ sometime recently, using acrylic paint. It's a wild ride of color and line, and you can tell she's into the process, not just the outcome. Look at the way those bands of color loop and swirl across the canvas, some thick and opaque, others thin and almost translucent. And those drips near the lower part, how they add another layer of texture and movement. It’s like Cain is letting us in on her thought process, her hesitations, her joys as she works. I’m drawn to the way the pink and black snake around each other in the top right, creating a tension that’s both playful and a little unsettling. It reminds me of some of Elizabeth Murray’s shapes, but with a psychedelic twist. Ultimately this piece embraces ambiguity, reminding us that there’s never just one way to see ourselves, or the world around us.