I Don't Trust Myself When I'm Sleeping 2019

Carla Cabanas made this intriguing artwork, "I Don't Trust Myself When I'm Sleeping", using mixed media on a small sheet. There is a tentative, experimental approach to the mark making that really appeals to me. I'm drawn to the texture. The thin washes create a sense of atmosphere, especially in the depiction of the snow-covered landscape. Then there are the bold outlines in ink that describe the forms. Look at the silhouettes of the two figures. They feel so solid in comparison to the landscape; ghosts in a dream. I love how Cabanas leaves parts of the image untouched, creating a push-pull between representation and abstraction. This reminds me of work by artists like Philip Guston, who also played with simple forms and bold outlines to create surreal and psychologically charged images. The beauty of art is that it doesn't offer easy answers. It invites us to explore the space between what we see and what we feel, embracing the ambiguity of interpretation.