Our ‘Friday Five’ guest today is artist, Shambhavi Tiwari.

We were acquainted with Shambhavi’s drawings via her Instagram feed @shambhavit and were instantly drawn to her work.

We collaborated with her on our most recent collection of textiles and wallcoverings. It was a wonderful process and a new experience for our studio, as typically our artwork is completely created in-house.

Our new patterns, Edgartown and Yarmouth originated as a result of this collaboration.

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To learn about the journey of our collaboration, tune in to the conversation on our IGTV.

Here is an excerpt:

1 – Tell me about your background and about your art.

I am a print designer currently based in Jaipur, with studios in Nainital and in Delhi. I develop original artwork for clients who use them in their projects- including home furnishings, apparel, tableware, and wallpapers. It will be six years since I started as a freelance designer, and now I have a team of five people who work with me.

My area of expertise revolves around traditional Indian floral designs inspired by traditional craft and art. I love interpreting them in my own way and have developed my own style of drawing.

2 – How did you develop your unique style? Did you go to art school?

I studied textile design at the National Institute of Design, in Ahmedabad, India. We were introduced to the world of print through my years of study there. I only started drawing in this particular style and took a deeper interest in prints after quitting my first job working at an export house in Bombay. A friend had gifted me a book by Rosemary Crill on Chintz.  It inspired me to start drawing and I drew every day to hone my skill. Six years later, I haven’t stopped drawing! That’s where my journey began.

When I started drawing, I tried to understand the craft of Chintz and the language of the medium: the proportion of the florals to the leaves, and how a pattern is constructed. I then started interpreting it in my own way, created my own language, and began experimenting with colors.

3 – What materials do you use to create your artwork?

I use the humble cartridge art paper and my favorite pencil from Muji. I use a mechanical pencil because I travel a lot (at least I did pre-pandemic!). My pencil, paper, and a watercolor tray are always with me, along with a Pentel brush pen. Most of the conceptualization and ideation happens on paper. If my clients need a digitized version, then I use Adobe software to provide that dimension.

4 – Has the current COVID pandemic impacted you in any particular way? 

My clients have used this time to take a break and conceptualize new collections, and they would like to emerge from this with a bang! So I have a lot of work and am very busy with projects. Although the pandemic has hit hard in India and we are generally in this period of transition. 

When the lockdown began, I was very excited because I thought that I would have time to paint a lot and gather a collection of prints. On the contrary, I ended up doing nothing and was baking a lot! What I learned from this time is to take each day as it comes. Just try to do your best for that day and then sleep feeling content!

What is your favorite pattern in our collection? 

I have a lot of favorites. But I love Juhu, it’s so beautiful. The embroidery with the ombre effect is really special. It’s simple with a lot of attention to detail. It’s beautiful and so are the other patterns.

When you launch the new collection, I think I might have a new favorite!