Katazome is a Japanese technique of dying fabrics or paper using a resist paste made of rice flour applied to fabric through a stencil. For 500 years, Japanese kimono and textiles have been produced with paper stencils. Come hear Karen Illman Miller, who has worked in the artform since 1994, for an introduction to katazome from 1:15-2:15pm in the Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Arts Learning Center.
“Kata” means pattern, and “zome” means to dye. Miller describes katazome, Japanese stencil dying, as “a process more like printmaking than painting.” She will discuss the history of the craft, describe the tools and techniques used to make the stencils, and explain how the stencils are used. She will also share examples of historic and modern textiles, including her own work.
Artist’s Biography – Karen Illman Miller
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.
