Bachers Exhibit Features Creativity of Father and Son
By P.A. Geddie
Winnsboro Center for the Arts presents works by the late Gary Bachers and his son Christopher Bachers from May 21 through July 19 with an artist reception on May 29.
The show is a memorial exhibition of Gary Bachers’ art. He passed away in August of 2023. His colorful hand-drawn images were a staple at art festivals and are displayed in galleries and homes around the country.
His wife and business partner Gabrielle — a talented fiber artist — continues to share his art at shows and worked diligently since his death organizing and preparing his life’s work for exhibitions to continue sharing his inspiring story.
Gary and Gabrielle moved to New Boston, Texas, west of Texarkana, after he graduated from medical school at the University of Manitoba in his hometown of Winnipeg, Canada. For 10 years he served the rural community as a family practice physician. His career was cut short when at the age of 38 he suffered a debilitating stroke, leaving him with right-sided paralysis and global expressive aphasia, which prevented him from speaking or writing.
As part of his stroke-recovery therapy, Gary had to learn to hold a pencil in his left hand. Frustratingly, he could not form words with the pencil, but he started sketching flowers from Gabrielle’s garden. With colored pencils he began perfecting his compositions of lilies, peonies, irises, and birds of paradise. He developed his own language of design as his art evolved from simple monotone sketches to meticulous and brilliantly colorful composition. Mandalas, human figures, insects, and architecture feature in many of the works, but the full moon is the most pervasive element in his artistic lexicon, as if to mark not only the brief moment of spectacular beauty but also each composition’s place in the cosmos.
Gary and Gabrielle’s son and the oldest of three siblings, Christopher Bachers, grew up surrounded by his father’s art and was exposed to the art world from a young age. Christopher pursued a career in English and American literature, but began painting as a hobby during his graduate studies. He has developed his own unique style, combining vivid colors and abstract lines to create enigmatic compositions that explore themes of communication and self-expression.
Christopher has won several awards for his art and has participated in various exhibitions, including the same national show in Texarkana where his father started his career.
Gabrielle and Christopher are carrying on the family’s legacy of creativity.
“People always say we’re a creative family,” Christopher says. “Not only my dad and I, but my mother, brother, and sister are all artists in their own areas. Looking back, it’s clear that we were all inspired by Dad. We lived alongside his daily art practice, watching his compositions and second career steadily develop over the years. It’s a small example of how art can make meaning and transform lives.”
Gathering Gary’s body of work is an honor, Gabrielle says, and especially heartwarming that it is a father and son exhibition.
“He left an incredible gift of art behind and it is sad to accept that there will be no more. I am so privileged to have walked this journey by his side. He inspired so many people along the way and I want to continue that by sharing this show.”
See some of Gary and Christopher’s artwork in The Gallery at 1894 and Christopher’s (no relation) Frame and Gallery, both in Texarkana. Find Christopher on instagram.com/cjbachers. Gary’s art schedule and more information is on www.GaryBachers.com.
The gallery at Winnsboro Center for the Arts is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Visit www.WinnsboroCenterForTheArts.com for more information.
