Thundi 2012

Sally Gabori made this painting, Thundi, with what looks like broad strokes of acrylic paint, building up areas of intense colour. The physicality of the paint is really important here; the way Gabori uses colour is both bold and kind of raw. Look at the strokes in the blue background, they're almost like water, or rain. The paint is applied quite thickly, and you can see the texture of the brushstrokes, which gives the painting a real sense of energy and movement. The colours are not mixed, and they sit next to each other, creating a vibrant, almost electric feel. The yellow area has a certain glow, doesn't it? In the lower part of the painting there are a few smaller white shapes, and one burnt-orange shape. They seem to ground the composition, or hold it in place. When I look at this work I can't help but think of Joan Mitchell, another painter with a strong sense of place and how the landscape resonates within us. It makes you think about how painting is an ongoing exchange of ideas.