Indian Scarves

I had an idea for a promotional poster for an upcoming concert, based on a concept of images of weaving.

So I dug into my collection of silk scarves and woven fabrics brought home to the USA by my parents from our home in India. These exquisite fabrics were worn traditionally in some cases by men, and in other cases by women. Some are women's sari scarves; others are men's dhoti scarves. I have family photos of my parents in Indian dress, including one of my father wearing a dhoti that I have kept, and still have in a drawer. My sister has my mother's saris, including one or two seen in these family photos.



Silk threads, metallic threads, woven into cotton and linen matrices. Pure silk scarves. Mixed-thread fabrics. Woven art, exquisite in every detail.

To make these photos, I set up a photo shoot in my basement studio, taking many images of these scarves. I set them up individually, and in layers, against a dark silk background. I enjoy looking at the way the colors layer up, with the more opaque and more translucent layers of woven material. Exquisite to the touch. Sensual colors, sensual on the skin. I love the way the colors shimmer in these photos. I've made a whole series of images; these are just a few of them. I like to make stock photos sometimes, building up libraries of elements to be used in other projects later.



I didn't end up using any of this images for the concert poster, in the end; for that purpose, I ended up using a heavy woolen white scarf. But this was a fun project, and brought back many good memories of my childhood in India.