Custom piece by Sabina Forbes for J.McLaughlin.

Sabina Forbes is an artist from Somerset County, New Jersey whose works are “a celebration of colors and textures.” She builds patterns within shapes within figures and evokes “a warm, uplifting and passionate celebration of color, expression and release.” Forbes is described as always having had “a great sensitivity to the human condition, particularly its energy which she observes as it alters moods and states.”

Sabina describes the artwork that she will be auctioning off as “an ode to Somerset, abstracted. The torso and the background are hot-air balloons and the wicker from their baskets. My grandfather began flying them when I was a baby and now there is a yearly festival. The left arm is for the Tewksbury Foot Bassets (the dogs are specially bred), a tradition which continues to this day and where my sisters and I used to go chasing after them as children. The right leg also highlights the county’s tradition of hunting on horseback in and amongst the hills—as far as I know they don’t actually hunt animals anymore! The right arm is a pattern I created of peonies as we have a famous peony farm near the store. The left leg represents the Raritan river which many people still fish at. The hair is a take on linen fabric.”

 

A silent auction of Sabina’s work to benefit the food bank will go on all month from Thursday, September 31st to Saturday, October 31st in store and by phone with the winner announced on November 1st. To bid by phone call the store at 973-425-1546.