Saratoga News

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Kavita Singh creates silk art with an international flavor in her Saratoga home studio.

Textile designer strives for balance

By Kristin Kusumoto

As Kavita Singh reflects on the challenge of having an artistic career as a textile designer, which she has cultivated for 22 years, she shares a secret.

"The secret in life is to have a balance," she says. It's easy for her to say, but she admits that sometimes it's hard for her to do.

"Being a mother, there's a part of my career that I have to give up because I want to. I feel like it's never enough--either with my kids or my work," she says.

For Singh, her work takes place in her Saratoga home studio, where she creates pictures of flowers and fish on silk fabric that becomes "wearable art" in the form of scarves, jackets and traditional pieces of clothing like the caftan--a full-length dress--and the ruana, a large piece of fabric that can be a dress or a wrap. The silk fabric also takes the form of framed pictures; sometimes Singh imprints designs on T-shirts and notecards as well.

Wearable art is a new category in art shows, and silk is becoming a rising medium, according to Singh, who exhibits her work on a monthly basis.

She makes designs by first drawing bold outlines with a French glue called gutta, then filling in the outlines using a bamboo brush dipped in dye. The colors change in intensity as they travel across the fabric.

"It's total fantasy. The colors are so wild," says Singh, who draws from her imagination. Her use of color combinations, such as bright turquoise with royal deep purple, is characteristic of fabrics made in India, she explains.

Growing up in India was integral to her development as a designer, Singh recalls, because as a child she liked to draw and was exposed to many textiles as a part of everyday life. One item she says was a big influence is the sari, a 6-foot piece of silk or cotton cloth that her family wore.

"I really knew what I wanted to do when I was 10 or 11," she says.

As an international designer, Singh acquired her unique style from studying in various countries. After graduating from the New Delhi Polytechnic for Women, she went to Paris when she was 19 and landed a job as a design assistant at a studio. At the time, she barely spoke French and didn't know anyone.

"You show up, show your portfolio and basically say, 'Hire me.' I must have been really brave or foolish," she says with a laugh.

In Paris she learned the technique of drawing with gutta. Next she lived in the U.S., where she married her husband. Later the couple relocated to Malaysia. There she studied Chinese brush painting at Taiwan University, a technique she continues to use along with Japanese brush painting. Singh speaks fondly of the Malaysian culture and remembers seeing so many orchids there that she felt inspired to paint them.

"I'm a traveler at heart. I tried to take in the best of each country," she says.

After working for 15 years in the United States as a textile designer for companies that produced wallpaper, china and upholstery, Singh is happy to be her own boss. "I wanted to get back to my soul. I paint what I like to paint," she says.

The mix of cultures in the Golden State also suits her well. "I feel that in California I don't have to explain myself. People are more cosmopolitan and perceptive to new things," she says.

She also maintains her familial ties to India. As the country celebrated its 50th year of independence this year, Singh says, she and her husband taught its significance to their two sons. "India is growing in so many ways," she says. While many people there wear jeans, they still wear saris, too, she adds.

[ Back to Contents Page | Saratoga News Home Page | Archives ]