"Roots hold stories deep in time,
Branches reach where futures grow,
Across the paths that lives may take,
The same quiet roots still flow."
Generations: Tree of Life
Sari ID: 26 SETH GEN AAM
By Sheetal Seth
Collection: Journey and Exile
Created by: Sheetal Seth, Saratoga, California
Latest Exhibit: Asian Art Museum, San Francisco (March 2026)
Status: Available for sale
Includes: Hand painted silk sari, blouse kit materials for two blouses, certificate of authenticity, full provenance
Care: Dry clean only by textile specialist
The Artist
Sheetal Seth is an artist and educator whose work draws inspiration from nature, florals, and community. Trained in Fine Arts, Textile Design, Interior Design, and Graphic Design, she works across watercolors, mixed media, sculpture, silk painting, and acrylics. She has exhibited in solo and group shows at venues including Triton Museum, India Community Center, and Silicon Valley Open Studios. She is also an Art Teacher at Saratoga Elementary School and Foothill Elementary School.
The Inspiration
Generations: Tree of Life is a deeply personal reflection on family, memory, and continuity.
The idea emerged from two photographs that hold special meaning for the artist. In one image, her mother, herself, and her daughter stand together wearing saris. In another, she appears alongside her mother and sister at an age very similar to her daughter in the first photograph.
The sari became a space to explore how families evolve over time while remaining rooted in shared origins. Like a tree, each generation grows outward in different directions. People travel, settle in new places, and build lives far from where they began, yet the roots remain connected.
Three female faces appear within the design to represent generations of women linked through memory and heritage. Elements from California also enter the visual language. Monarch butterflies move across the composition and California poppies bloom within the design. These symbols reflect the artist’s life in the United States while acknowledging how identity expands across geographies.
From Sari to Art
Sheetal has worked with painted textiles for many years, previously painting on chiffon saris and other fabrics. For this sari, she used high quality silk dyes produced by Jacquard. These highly pigmented dyes allow for rich color transitions and delicate layering across the silk surface.
One of the most technical aspects of the process involved the use of gutta, a resist medium that controls how dye spreads across silk. Applying gutta requires precision because it determines the boundaries of every painted form.
The work also required steam setting to permanently fix the dyes into the silk fibers. Through experimentation, Sheetal discovered alternative methods such as solvent washing that helped refine the process.
The sari was stretched across a frame system using pins, rubber bands, and specialized tools so that the fabric remained perfectly tensioned while painting. Brushes and applicators of different sizes were used to control the flow of dye across the silk.
Message for the World
When someone wears this sari, Sheetal hopes they feel connected.
Connected to their family, to their community, and to the places that shape their lives.
The Tree of Life reminds us that while branches may stretch across continents, the roots remain shared. Each generation grows in its own direction, yet carries the memory of those who came before.