Karen Miller exhibit at Latimer Center in Tillamook

Gallery Calapooia textile artist Karen Miller was a professional marine biologist at Oregon State University for many years, and her art is often inspired by her scientific background. Her interest in textiles and in all things Japanese comes from her grandfather, a zoologist who lived and worked in Japan at the turn of the century. Her mother, a painter, illustrator and needle worker, helped foster her interest in Japanese design. In 1994 Karen was introduced to katazome, or stencil dyeing, which uses a paper stencil to apply rice paste resist before dyeing or painting the fabric. She prefers to make her own fabric with recognizable imagery and finely detailed patterns. Katazome allows her to separate the production of the image from the application of color, a process more akin to printmaking than to painting.

The two pieces shown here are The Touching Pool and Mizu Mandala. The show in Tillamook has 21 quilts completed over the last 15 years and 24 katazome scrolls.

More info: https://www.latimerquiltandtextile.com/current-upcoming-exhibits