For 500 years, Japanese kimono and textiles have been produced with paper stencils. Katazome is a Japanese technique of dyeing fabrics or paper using a resist paste made of rice flour applied to fabric through a stencil. “Kata” means pattern, and “zome” means to dye. Portland Japanese Garden is partnering with Karen Illman Miller, a Corvallis-based katazome artist who has worked in the artform since 1994, to provide an introductory workshop. Miller describes katazome, Japanese stencil dyeing, as “a process more like printmaking than painting.”

The Garden is thrilled to offer this opportunity for its guests to get hands-on experience as it simultaneously presents Natural Patterns: Katazome Stencil Dyeing in the Calvin and Mayho Tanabe Gallery. During the workshop, participants will have an opportunity to apply resist paste, cut a simple stencil and dye an oblong silk scarf using instant-set fiber dye.

Participation is limited to 12 students.

All tools and materials are included in the workshop fee. Registration fees are non-refundable.

The workshop includes six hours of instruction and a 30-minute lunch break. Coffee, tea, water, and light snacks will be provided. Students should bring their own lunch.

Instructor 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 and 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 and 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 in 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.

Natural Patterns: Katazome Stencil Dyeing