Katazome with Traditional Pigment Dyes Workshop with Karen Illman Miller

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.” Many formal kimonos feature kamon, family crests that often include simple nature motifs. Inspired by family crest designs, participants will learn to cut traditional katazome stencils, apply resist paste and stretch silk fabric in hoops in preparation for multicolor painting with soy based pigments.  Students will dye two different multi-colored crest designs on silk brocade fabric using the bingata style of katazome from Okinawa. The style is known for using bright mineral pigments and soymilk. Registration is required through the Portland Japanese Garden website.