Growing up in the southern state of Andra Pradesh in India, Lakshmiamma often had a tamarind stick in her hand rather than a pen. The stick or kalam was used to paint delicate floral motifs onto fabric in the traditional Kalamkari style. The art involves almost seventeen steps of drawing and the dyeing of fabric with dyes extracted from roots, leaves and flowers. Mineral-based agents fix the color to the fabric. A single piece of fabric can take several weeks to complete and often an entire family helps prepare a painting. The origins of the art come from 10th century Persian-Indian trade.

Historically, the painted fabric was used to decorate temples and for religious instruction. Today the painted fabric is also used for saris and shawls.

Lakshmiamma married into a family involved in creating Kalamkaris for temples.