Art: Gloria Ssali Pursuing Her Artistic Dream
Gloria Ssali [Uganda]
A long-held passion for clay saw Ugandan-born ceramicist, Gloria Ssali give up a career as a pharmacist to pursue her dream fulltime time. Having moved to the UK with her family aged eleven; it was during a class she took during her senior school years that Gloria was first introduced to clay modelling and was instantly drawn into the craft. To achieve her goal of becoming a full-time artist, four years ago Gloria returned to college to train as a ceramicist experimenting with techniques and learning about the different types of clay. Describing her career change as a new chapter in her life, Gloria uses her art form as a platform to share her life experiences and reflect the beauty of the world around her through the diverse cultures that have had an influence. Gloria’s faith is also a strong presence within her work, everpresent through biblical depictions and devotions. In 2010 Gloria was awarded the ‘Best Tile Cultural Heritage’ award from Elit-Tile, an invitation-only international tile competition held every two years in the Dominican Republic.
[Image credits: Gloria Ssali; top, Bikira Maria; bottom, Love series 1-4 – Fine Art America]
I prefer Gloria’s abstract compositions, the free-flowing nature makes them interesting and although there are recognisable items like vases, quite a lot of the pieces available are presented as tiles upon which images are painted on with glaze; this means that you can mount the tiles directly onto the wall or floor, even set into furniture like tabletops according to you interior requirements or simply opt to frame the pieces and display as artworks. I was particularly drawn to the ‘Love’ series, which look like shards of broken pottery gathered from an ancient excavation sight; a factor which gives them the quality of precious collectibles. I would have the four pieces in the ‘Love’ series 1-4 framed and hung on the wall as shown. Gloria retails her ceramic creations through Fine Art America, a site that allows a customer to purchase original works of art or should they wish purchase a copy of the original piece as a paper print, framed print, stretched canvas or greeting card according to preference. The dotted patterns prevalent throughout her work and seen in the Bikira Maria, above remind me of batik techniques and the effect that the wax and dye have on the finished fabric.
[Image credit: Gloria Ssali; Yesu Christu – Fine Art America]
…intriguing art pieces, each time you look at them different images and patterns emerge
Additional information sourced from:
www.harrow.ac.uk
Additional details:
Prices on Fine Art America start at: US$7.95
For further information about Gloria Ssali and to purchase the original artworks visit: https://gloria-ssali.pixels.com
