((L-R) A Resting Place, Moonsetting on Mount Jefferson, Poplar Leaves and The Tree by Karen Miller)
Toriizaka Art is pleased to announce Karen Miller’s katazome textile exhibition on view from June 10 through July 15. The exhibition highlights Miller’s exploration of traditional Japanese resist-dye techniques through a contemporary artistic lens focusing on the beauty of the landscapes and flora of Central Oregon.
Katazome, a centuries-old Japanese stencil-dyeing method traditionally used in textiles, employs hand-cut stencils and rice-paste resist to create layered patterns and richly nuanced surfaces. Miller’s practice honors these historic processes while expanding their possibilities through innovative compositions, subtle color relationships, and a distinctly personal visual language.
Karen Illman Miller’s path to katazome reflects a lifelong dialogue between science, nature, and artistic practice. Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area in a family that valued both scientific inquiry and the arts, Miller was deeply influenced by her grandfather, early naturalist Trevor Kincaid, who worked in Japan in the early twentieth century, and by her mother, an artist-naturalist known for detailed botanical painting. Childhood experiences exploring tidepools and the Pacific coastline fostered an enduring fascination with biological form and pattern that continues to shape her imagery today.
Before fully committing to art, Miller built a distinguished career as a marine biologist and physical biochemist. She earned a PhD in zoology and spent two decades researching oxygen-binding proteins in octopuses, eventually joining Oregon State University. Throughout her scientific career, aesthetic curiosity remained central to her work; the structures and rhythms of living systems became a foundation for her artistic language.
Miller encountered katazome in 1994 after enrolling in an indigo dyeing workshop in Roseburg, Oregon. Cutting her first stencil proved transformative. She later studied with American katazome master John Marshall and traveled to Japan, working in a Kyoto workshop connected to renowned textile artist Keisuke Serizawa. While informed by traditional methods, much of her expertise was developed through decades of disciplined experimentation.
Nature remains the primary source of Miller’s imagery. Drawing on plants, marine organisms, branching structures, and organic pattern systems, her work balances biological accuracy with abstraction. By combining traditional technique with contemporary sensibilities, Miller’s katazome works reveal the human touch embedded within each stage of production — from stencil cutting to dye application.
A reception will be held at Toriizaka Art on June 26 from 4-7pm, offering visitors an opportunity to meet the artist and learn more about the katazome process.
About Toriizaka Art:
Toriizaka Art is dedicated to presenting exhibitions that foster dialogue between traditional and contemporary artistic practices, with a focus on cross-cultural exchange and material-based work. Through exhibitions, collaborations, and public programming, the gallery supports artists who expand the boundaries of craft and fine art.
Hours are Monday-Saturday, 11am-4pm. For additional information contact Karen Thomas at kthomas@toriizakaart.com or 650-580-6551.