For Sunaina Bhalla, textile design was her stepping stone to art. Bhalla was a Delhi-based textile designer who worked for Satya Paul and then moved to Bangalore in 1994 where she freelanced for silk export houses, and designer boutiques. In 1996, she moved to Japan where she learned the Nihonga style of painting. Her acrylic-on-canvas-artworks are presently being exhibited in the city.

Bhalla admits that textile design does influence her art. “Design and symmetry of form is very important though I use it very subconsciously. I love the use of fabrics and textures but more importantly, I still enjoy the repetitive use of motifs to make patterns; nowadays, I use this technique for calligraphic works or even repeating the human form to convey whatever I am intrigued by,” she says.