Glenda’s hobby of making art from leather is inspired by Namibia’s landscapes and wildlife. She has always had an artistic vein running through her, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that she took the step of putting her art on the market. After a job at Nakara (Leather Manufacturer) that lasted for more than a decade, and a few years of being stay-at-home mum, Glenda took the plunge and opened Glanda’s Leather Art Boutique at the Namibia Arts and Craft Centre, showcasing her knack for art. She never looked back. The Stall exhibits unique canvassas onto which Glenda creates what at first seem like paintings, but with closer look, it emerges that the “paintings” are in fact bits of leather, carefully cut and pasted on top of each other to create stunning wildlife and landscape portraits. Her style is realistic and based on using a natural colour palette, which nevertheless creates the illusion of form and shadows by carefully placing similar, yet different, colour pieces on top of each other – soft browns in various shades, blue, yellows, beige and black. “Each piece is unique. Each single one is special” Glenda also uses her clients as basis for inspiration, basing her designs on the client’s request. For those who regularly buy her art, she sets the goal of constantly creating new pieces. “I’m always up for a challenge” she acknowledges. Due to experience in the leather trade, Glenda makes sure that the leather she uses in her art is exportable to different countries, ensuring that the customers do not face unnecessary hassles at customs. Most of the items sizes is measuring no more than 30 X 45 cm and is unframed.
