Thread artist Kavitha Venkatesh to debut solo show

The words herringbone, chain, comb, buttonhole and French may form an unlikely group, but put together as stitches they can create something fantastic. Just ask Kavitha Venkatesh, a thread artist, whose works go on display at Golden Threads, a solo exhibition at Chitrakala Parishat shortly.

Golden Threads will showcase around 30 pieces of art created by Kavitha using needle and thread. Her canvases cover varied subjects — devotional images, people, places, animals and things — each crafted with painstaking detail.

Apart from sporting an amazing profusion of colours, each piece has depth and volume that present a three-dimensional result.

“Unlike paintings, where shades of the same colour are used to create depth, we use different coloured threads going up to three or more layers to achieve a similar effect,” says Kavitha. She points to her rendition of a betta bird (the local name for barbets and Indian rollers) found in Karnataka. Bright blues on its crown and nape, emerald green on the wings and a brilliant saffron-gold breast complete this bird perched on a reed. Upon looking carefully, one can see multiple threads of black and green or red and gold overlapping to create these hues.

Kavitha employs a variety of stitches in any given work. For instance, the reeds were made with stem stitch while the long and short stitch was used for the body of the bird as it allows for layering and shading. Needless to say, it is a time-consuming process. “I spend close to three-hours to cover two square inches with different tints,” she says.

Skein to skein

The process seems fairly simple and Kavitha, a Fine Arts graduate, draws what catches her fancy and later, traces it onto cloth. “I usually use cotton or cotton blends for the background and choose a colour that complements my subject. I have begun creating my pieces on silk too, but that is still a work in progress.”

“The drawing on the cloth is only a marker, it is not the actual picture. Sometimes a drooping leaf will look better than what was drawn initially; you have to use your imagination too.”

Challenges abound. “Once work begins, you can’t wash the material so smudges and stains are a huge No. And, if I feel the image is off in some way or inaccurate, there is no other choice but to snip off the threads and start over.”

Talking about her choice of subject, which seem quite varied, Kavitha says, “Any image that is beautiful inspires me; it may seem complicated but I challenge myself, asking ‘Why can’t you do it?’ That is what I felt when I saw the image of an elderly man with his ravanahatta, a stringed instrument.”

The piece, which will be on display at Golden Threads features a mustachioed musician sporting a colourful turban and beaded necklaces with rings on his gnarly fingers. One can only imagine the time spent on getting the folds of his clothes and wrinkles on his face just right.

Simple start

Among the pieces on display will be one by her mother, Jayamma, and another by her teacher. “She was my first guru,” says Kavitha, adding she grew up in a home decorated with her mother’s work. “I would see her working on saris, bedspreads, pillow covers, curtains and more. However, I became interested in learning threadwork in an in-depth manner only when I was about 21, so I visited her guru, Shankri Bhatt, who mentored me,” says the artist who hails from Puttur in Karnataka.

Kavitha recalls her mother stitching whenever she could snatch a few moments away from her chores. “I used to wonder what compelled her to wake up early just to sit with her needle and thread. But now I understand — when you are passionate about something nothing gets in your way,” she says, adding neither being a homemaker in a joint family nor medical issues kept her from devoting time to her art.

“I feel something is amiss if I take a break from work.”

The idea of a solo show was the last thing on her mind until Dr Shivram, an acquaintance of her husband’s, expressed surprise that the image was created with threadwork; he thought it was a painting. “He immediately gave me a deadline and asked me to create more pieces for an exhibition. Despite my misgivings, he didn’t take ‘No’ for an answer and told me I needed to have a minimum of 25 images for a show.”

At the time, Kavitha says she only had 11 completed works and it took her close to two years to complete the remaining 19 that will be showcased at Golden Threads.

“To be honest, I was scared. I wasn’t sure if my work was gallery-worthy or if I could finish in time or live up to my commitment. But I also knew if I let this chance slip away I would regret it. All my life, I was seen as someone’s daughter, wife or mother; being an artist was the one thing I could say was solely mine.”

“We all need someone like Shivram to nudge us; the very next day I began working on creating a cheetah. It was my first piece keeping this show in mind.”

Golden Threads will go on display at Chitrakala Parishat from October 29 to November 1.