Sarah Cain Washes a Room With Spirited Chromatic Surges

Here, we ask an artist to frame the essential details behind one of their latest works.

Bio: Sarah Cain, 45, Los Angeles (@sarahcainstudio)

Title of work: Quiet Riot (2024).

Where to see it: “Quiet Riot” at Anthony Meier (21 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley, CA) until Oct. 11.

Three words to describe it: Physical walkable emotion.

What was on your mind at the time: I made this new floor work in the week leading up to the opening. The works created on site float in and out what’s immediately around me, reacting to the architecture and the other works in the show. They also assimilate things going on in the world or that I’m thinking about. I watched the DNC during the install and have been feeling the hope of possibilities and a potentially huge pivot our country could make with Kamala Harris as President. I’ve been a longstanding fan of her and will be ecstatic if she can lead us in a new direction of progress, respect, intelligence, and unity. I’ve also been thinking about the Chinese philosophical idea in Taoism called Wu Wei. A lot of these paintings were coming from a similar place adjacent to effortless action. I’ve started just painting exactly what the painting wants to be, pulling my thoughts and self further out in a “what is will be” approach. 

An interesting feature that’s not immediately noticeable: The conversation between the paintings hung on the wall and the floor. There’s one painting also called Quiet Riot whose left stretcher edge is pale yellow and right stretcher edge a pale violet—those colors jump to the floor as well as the painting Ascending, which almost creates a mirrored reflection in the floor painting. All these things happen subconsciously in the moment. I usually don’t register that they happened until I’m done painting.

How it reflects your practice as a whole: The works created on site are really the core of my practice; they magnify how I paint in a compressed time period. There’s so much risk and trust involved—the idea of not knowing what something will look like until it appears and believing in the painting to show itself with the added pressure of an opening deadline is very much what I am about and how I like to push painting to its limits.

One song that captures its essence: I was listening to the song “Earthling” by Oh Sees on repeat when painting so I’m sure it influenced the vibe of the work.