Contemporary artist Jennifer Gabbay creates fragmented abstract paintings that challenge what you think you know about still life, landscape and portraiture. Her work doesn’t ask to be understood at first glance. Instead, it invites you to look longer.
Her paintings feel both grounded and mysterious with creations that bring energy and radiant warmth into a home without ever feeling restless.
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Jennifer has always loved painting, but by the time she pursued formal training, she already knew herself as an artist, even if the wider world didn’t.
“Even though I started painting as a teenager, my formal studies only began later in life,” Jennifer explains. “I returned home to Australia after living overseas for many years.
“Beginning formal studies in my late 50s felt like the right time for me to really refine what I wanted to say. All of this led to me developing a distinctive style.
“That distinctive approach emerged from experimentation and risk-taking. I studied while navigating the demands of a full-time career, squeezing art education in where I could. It was an unconventional path, but one that shaped everything I make now.”
Travel and ancient beauty shape Jennifer’s fragmented abstract paintings.
“My inspiration comes from many trips to Europe where ancient ruins of abbeys and church interiors, Roman and Greek sculptures and my love of flora and nature motivate me to reflect on the beauty in the world,” Jennifer says.
“This doesn’t mean copying what I see. Instead, it filters through my own lens. A lens obsessed with colour, fragmentation and abstraction. I tend to work from a collection of images and photographs I’ve gathered from my travels and my immediate surroundings.
“My studio amplifies this influence as it overlooks a rainforest garden filled with Australian tree ferns and views beyond to the Australian bush. I love watching light, shadow and form shift.”
Jennifer’s artistic process is deliberate and layered.
“In general, I utilise images that I have collected which are then fragmented and transferred onto MDF panels,” she explains.
“I work in acrylic, oil and varnish, building layer upon layer. Each medium does different work. The acrylics and oils creates depth and movement. The varnish adds luminosity and a gloss finish that catches the light.
It’s not rushed. It’s meticulous, intentional and focused on achieving what I like to call high quality paintings.
“My subject matter varies between still life botanicals, landscapes and portraits. But I like to think my work is always recognisable. I love bold colours. It feels like they add a level of confidence in how fragments sit next to each other.
“The result is a collection of captivating pieces that showcase my ability to balance colour, texture, and composition. It’s a balance that has come about through hours of experimentation and of seeing where a painting wants to go and letting it lead.”
Jennifer’s artworks carry a meaning beyond just the aesthetic.
“I think my series of flower paintings speak of the beauty that surrounds us. For me that’s a positive expression of life,” she shares.
“I suppose my paintings provide an emotional and visual response with their rich, gloss-finished layers over oils and acrylics. My hope is that they bring radiant, sunny energy into a room and brightness into everyday domestic life.
“Art isn’t strictly about making a subject look exactly like real life. It’s about what the work does, capturing movement, emotion, rhythm and life.”
We’re grateful to Jennifer for sharing her bold, colourful fragmented abstract paintings and contemporary art practice with us. You can explore her full collection on her website, or follow her journey on Instagram.
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