'Always Trust Your Cape'

“Always Trust Your Cape” is a line from a sweet little song by Guy Clark on his Dublin Blues album. It’s a tale of a young boy who was “pretty sure he could fly” when he tied a cape around his neck and jumped off the garage roof. The chorus goes like this:

“He’s one of those who knows that life
Is just a leap of faith
Spread your arms and hold your breath
Always trust your cape*

Starting a new abstract painting always feels like a leap of faith to me. I often begin with an intention to create a certain kind of painting—perhaps soft and richly textured, or bold and full of motion—but I don’t know how I will get there or what thorny problems I will create for myself. I just have to start and respond to what is on the canvas, over and over. Every painting goes through at least one ugly phase, and usually many. I go through cycles of painting and mark making, followed by more rigorous analysis of shape, line, color and balance. My paintings are built up layer by layer, sometimes sanded or scraped back to reveal the underlying layers. I work mostly with acrylic paints, but may include collage, oil paint, charcoal, graphite or wax medium.

Creating compelling abstract work requires discernment—seeing when mistakes create interest or beauty, when to let raw passages rest, and when to calm a busy area. And sometimes, I just have to grab my cape and wreck what I have created to give myself a fresh start.
This collection was painted over the last two years during the Covid pandemic times of isolation, uncertainty, and recent hope.

*The Cape” Written by: Guy Clark, Jim Janosky, Susanna Wallis Clark, “Dublin Blues,” 1995