Join us for a free katazome demonstration by Karen Illman Miller at the Cathy Rudd Cultural Corner in the Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Arts Learning Center from 2:00pm – 3:00pm. This demonstration is presented as part of Natural Patterns: Katazome Stencil Dyeing.
Katazome is a Japanese technique of dyeing fabrics using exquisitely cut paper stencils and resist paste to dye fabrics. During this demonstration, artist Karen Illman Miller will illustrate step-by-step the process to create beautiful, patterned textiles.
About Karen Illman Miller
Artist Biography
Karen Miller was a marine biologist at Oregon State University and her art is often inspired by her scientific background. Her interest in textiles and Japan dates extends back to her childhood. In 1994, she was introduced to katazome and carved her first stencil, which was a turning point in her artistic life. She studied the craft with American katazome expert John Marshall. She began carving stencils using mostly traditional Japanese patterns. Now using her own hand-cut and personally designed stencils, Miller produces fabric for art quilts, silk garments, linen hangings, and indigo-dyed cottons. She is passionate about the patterns found in natural forms, detailed biological images like tree branches, leaf skeletons, or marine animals, and especially the abstractions nature produces.
Miller’s work has been exhibited twice in Japan and, numerous private and public collections,. Her art was hung in the Washington D.C. office of Jane Lubchenco, the head of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) during the first Obama administration. She has taught katazome nationally and internationally and has published several articles. She was featured on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Oregon Art Beat, in October 2007.
