City NY
On Deck, by Sara Marisa Bliss

At 33, designer John Robshaw has lived many lives. He's been an assistant to Julian Schnabel, a tugboat deckhand, a painter, even an actor in a Korean soap opera. Today, however, it's apparent he's found his true passion—designing, printing, and importing textiles from India and Southeast Asia.

In his East Village studio apartment, Robshaw surrounds himself with his art: neatly folded piles of intricately patterned handmade silks, batiks, cottons, and sheers he creates during the six months of the year he lives in the Far East. Fabrics that range in color from deep indigo to eggshell, from rust and soft orange to intense greens, cover the floor, are piled on shelves, and mask the few pieces of furniture he deems essential—a wooden dining table, a few assorted chairs, and a solitary mattress.

Following graduation from Pratt as a painter, Robshaw journeyed to India to find Indigo (and inspiration) for his paintings. Yet, after watching local craftsmen printing fabrics, he traded in his brushes for wood blocks. "I was completely fascinated by the printing process as well as how the finished product is used. Textiles become intimate companions in daily life, whether as a pillow or a sarong. Paintings simply become objects."

He stayed in the villages of Gujarat and Rajasthan working alongside artisans and studying traditional printing methods. Four years later, Robshaw has set up workshops in four countries. He makes hand-woven ikats in Thailand, batiks in Indonesia, silks in Cambodia, and wood-block prints and sheers in India. Rather than adhering to each country's distinctive style and patterns, he uses their techniques to create his own look. "I want all the colors, processes, and designs from each culture to blend. I redesign and mix up the process in ways no one has ever done before. At first the craftsmen thought my methods were odd, but now they compliment me on the results."

The simplicity of his lifestyle abroad has affected much more than his work. Before his second trip to Asia he sold most of his possessions choosing instead to live a modest existence. "I live the same way in Indonesia as I do in New York—with only essentials." He is quick to point out the differences between the energies of the two environments and says he can't imagine designing in the city. "New York is all about commerce and money," he muses. "Asia has a whole different energy. My printer in India says "If you don't pay me in this life, you'll pay me in the next one."