Lillian Cain

I am a primarily abstract painter, and my work can be characterized as distinctively gestural and energetic. I am inspired by Japanese calligraphy painting, which in Japanese culture is thought to be one of the purest representations of an artist’s voice. In many ways calligraphy painting is the most intimate and raw portrait of an individual, and as a result it is thought to embody the artist’s soul.  In my own work, even with the inclusion of observational elements or subjects, I believe it is important to incorporate moments of abstraction throughout a painting. The singularity of a specific brush stroke, or an accidental discovery that could never be recreated, these are the moments that inspire me.