Welcome to my gallery!
Born into a family fascinated by the sciences both natural and conventional I was led by a kind and inspirational mother and a wonderful father to lean toward the sciences in life. I have been on an artistic journey from my youth, when first shown the delights of art and clay at GCSE, then after a period of absence found an local adult workshop where I was reintroduced to working in ceramics and also where I made my first venture into making my currently available pottery items.I am a naive artist . I love to look at the world as it is not how it should be. I was encouraged to enjoy art and its very nature individualism and its challenges to see and then create what has not been done before. The newness of being told to create things in ones own imagination was a path new to me. This drew me deeper into my childhood and hence began to recreate scenes and pieces of art from these experiences . In truth pushing the mind beyond itself as I used the clay in all its tactile beauty making pots and tile work to be able to tell these stories.
Art has been for me an opportunity to communicate emotion, history, my Catholicism , cultures and to explore a newer view of life as the moment it was created revealed itself to me. Outside influences are employed to increase richness. I also edit alot in photoshop to create my images
My style is manifold reflecting our humanity which cannot be contained. Communicating through art is a blessing I am constantly being drawn to figures their lives fragility of emotion and where God is in our lives, Our very heart.
My artistic bent has led me from oils on canvas to ceramics, paper , cardboard and wood to name a few . This is partly due to my love of textures and feel and love of the challenges of new media and how to give life to an idea in all these extremes of media.
I love to tell joyful as well as poignant moving stories to reveal the heart .Our world is constantly changing and its story moves me deeply. I am an artistic wanderer ( as well as a true nomad moving with my family when young from Uganda to the UK ) always trying to get ahead of the situation in a way to arrive early in some sense and document what I see before the story/piece or the feeling or images etc disappear or or are changed irreparably or for good . Always looking at the story and then seeking more as in how to do more to reveal the heart.
In life it has been a blessing to view many cultures something I value deeply and hold dear. People and their relationships with particular reference to culture are so inspirational the beauty therein captivates me and draws me to see more do more.
I have many recurrent themes in my galleries reflecting my deep affection and determination to see dreams and stories told. I love so much patterns and how cultures are revealed in them! The beauty seeker in me loves to express this in a personal vision permeated by the rhythm of this beautiful world we live in. My work is also driven by an awareness of my own culture ( Ugandan) and then our beautiful fragile world. Constant change in cultures as they disappear haunts me as due to their fragility in the face of modernisation some are lost forever before they are recorded. We have a responsibility to keep our world steeped in art am honoured to reveal this world in art as I see it . I love to see art free and so the Spirit too also is free.
I hope while youre here you are also able to enjoy as I did the journey to discover the joy of art in all its forms and to explore world cultures.
'' Lubale mbera nga n'embiro kwottade''.... is a famous Luganda Proverb which translated means...'' ''God helps me to do all the best I can and rewards me!! ''There are many challenges I have overcome by learning through observing and in Jesus Christ's Greatness we find our weakness are overcome by His Assistance.
As a Godtaught artist it is and has been important for me to teach myself through my own learning from my own mistakes . ( The Baganda have a saying '' ... amaaso g'oMuganda gali mungalo ..'' which means when directly translated ...'' a Muganda persons eyes are in the hands/fingers. '' but more accurately .. '' you have to touch something to see how beautiful it is. '' So this is a slight explanation to the fascination of touching clay a medium that is like a fulcrum in my artistic journey which to this day is ever changing..
So over time I have spent at the local adult workshop over the years I have had to pick myself up and find a way to develop on my own a presentation of what I eventually discovered is art . It took me a long time to teach myself these skills and I eventually won a prize ( Fourth Triennial Elit Tile Best Tile Cultural Heritage - Tile - ''Rhythm Of A Nation ''- 2012) and a few years later a Mention for the Africa Region (Fifth Triennial Elit Tile - Title of tile - '' The Rhino Year 2013- Blackhole to Extinction'' ) for my country Uganda .
I love to hear from all who come to view my work so I hope you do enjoy yourself !!! I hope you are also inspired by Jesus Christ's Mastery the Divine!!!
''..For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath beforehand ordained, that we should walk in them.''( Ephesians 2 verse 10)
Purchase of my work or any art matter and any prints does not transfer reproduction rights.
All images are my copyright Gloria Ssali ( all rights reserved and protected by US and International Copyright Law full compensation will be sought for copyright abuses ) no piece of art or any section of it can be used or copied, modified, transferred ,exploited ,reproduced, altered, displayed , redistributed, edited, published, transmitted or downloaded in any way, shape or form or any of the content, for personal or commercial use, whether in whole or in part or desseminated for any purpose without my permission ( permissions do have to be paid for) Gloria Ssali.
Gloria Ssali joined Pixels.com Licensing on May 11th, 2009.
