Patron Profile: Gabriella Boros, Skokie Artist

March 1, 2017 by Skokie Staff in Around the Library

Gabriella Boros in her home studio

Gabriella Boros is an artist who has lived and worked in Skokie for nearly two decades. She first moved to Chicago to be a part of the city’s strong local art scene. Attracted by Skokie’s more affordable housing, a move north in 1999 allowed her more room for her growing family and artwork—a large portion of her family’s north Skokie home is dedicated to her studio.

As an Israeli immigrant herself, Gabriella draws inspiration from Skokie’s diversity. She also appreciates the wealth of resources available at Skokie Public Library. “For me, the library is like my living room,” she says. "There’s no part of the library I don’t use.” One of Gabriella’s recent art projects focused on folk tales which featured the power of herbal remedies across different cultures. She used the library to learn about these cultures which included Chinese, indigenous South American, and Pawnee Indian. Checking out books for reference is the first step in her creative process which brings her to the building often. “I’m at the library two to three times a week,” she says. “It’s absurd how much I’m there.”

With Skokie Public Library providing her with research materials, Gabriella will be ready when the creative spark arrives. "It’s always a challenge to figure out what’s going to be the next project,” she says, adding, “When ideas come to me I just run with it.” When she is not at Skokie Public Library or in her art studio Gabriella likes to cook dinner for large groups of friends which she does weekly.

Gabriella uses a U-gouge tool to work on a recent woodblock piece.