Inspiration from drums

Jul 05, 2001

ONE of the most common assertions that come from most artists' mouth is: Artists are born, they are not made. But this popular saying even switches to a new dimension of perception when this endowment pervades an entire family.

By Nathan Kiwere ONE of the most common assertions that come from most artists' mouth is: Artists are born, they are not made. But this popular saying even switches to a new dimension of perception when this endowment pervades an entire family. Esther Ndagire is a practising artist and a lecturer at the Margaret Trowell School of Industrial and Fine Arts, Makerere University. Her father, F .X. Nagenda, is a professor of sculpture and drawing at the same school. A combination of her father's encouragement and her personal effort, creativity and drive have helped her get a desirable standard of proficiency, especially through instruction and practice. Ndagire, 27, is the sixth in a family of five girls and one boy. She studied at Makerere University for a Bachelor of Industrial & Fine Arts from 1994. Thereafter, she began a Masters in textile designing. Apart from her tutoring, she makes fabric art–works in her free time. Her work reveals an inspiration from local traditional instruments, among them drums, gourds, spears and shields. She carefully blends these motifs with images of dancing people in contrasting tones. A brief look at her favourite collection shows her designing prowess. Nearly all her exclusive textiles can be adopted for functional purposes, especially for interior decoration. These include curtains, table cloths, cushions lines, wall hangings and others. Ndagire's skill stretches into painting too. Her ability to compose with simple brush strokes of oil on canvas speaks of her as an impeccable art prodigy. As in her fabrics, Ndagire's inspiration of musical instruments still features prominently in her paintings. In her painting, The Musician, a woman is lost in the act of playing an instrument while another listens. Ndagire has actively participated in a couple of exhibitions at the School of Art, the latest being Voices of Women 2001 that took place at Nommo Gallery. She exhibited some of her best pieces. Ndagire's dad's incessant encouragement has played an major role in her work. But she confesses that her schoolmates gave her the biggest push to pursue art as a career. Ndagire says her designs have not been adopted by the textile industry because potential customers attach a very low price tag. However, a few tourists purchase them. The other problem is the huge used clothes market which caters for a large part of the population. Away from art, Ndagire enjoys swimming, aerobics and dancing. Her vision is to open a textile firm that will employ less privileged women. But her ultimate desire is to introduce fabrics into people's homes. Her message to young women artists is to never give up. There is no limit to your abilities other than yourself. Ends

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