Dibirdibi Country – Topway 2006

Sally Gabori made this painting, Dibirdibi Country – Topway, with what looks like synthetic polymer paint on canvas. The shapes are so direct, and the colors are put down with a confident hand. The magenta sky feels both solid and expansive. You can sense her making decisions, probably changing her mind a few times. I like the way the yellow is used as an accent, like a kind of punctuation. It highlights the forms and creates this rhythmic energy throughout the painting. When I look at the white shapes, I get the sense of wind or clouds, things that are always moving and changing. It reminds me of the paintings of Joan Mitchell, who was also interested in capturing a sense of place and memory. But Gabori, who only began painting in her eighties, had a completely unique vision. Ultimately, all painting is just one big conversation, right? We all borrow and steal and riff off of each other, but each artist brings something new to the table.