My Father’s Country 2006

Sally Gabori made "My Father's Country" using bold strokes of acrylic paint and vivid color. Just look at that juicy red and purple! I can imagine Gabori standing in front of the canvas, loaded brush in hand, thinking about her father's land. What does it mean to translate a place into paint? The way the colours bleed into one another tells a story, right? That saturated blue pushes up against the orange, they almost have a fight! The painting has a child-like innocence but it's underpinned with an adult understanding of colour. In a way, the gesture becomes a stand-in for a memory, a feeling, or even just the sun on your skin. It makes me think about other painters, like Joan Mitchell, or Helen Frankenthaler, who also found ways to make landscapes out of feelings and pigment. Artists have always been inspired by each other, and Gabori is part of that ongoing conversation.