Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.comCalifornia fiber artist John Marshall shows one of his pieces of fiber artwork during the first of a two-day introductory workshop in the traditional Japanese technique of katazome (stencil dying) at the Fine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles on Thursday. Marshall, an expert in the field for forty years, travels the country and world showcasing his work and teaching classes.
Eight students at the Fine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles were introduced to the traditional Japanese technique of katazome, or stencil dying.
The two-day introductory workshop was taught by internationally known fiber artist John Marshall of Covelo, California. Students will be learning how to prep the materials used in the process such as soy milk and making a paste from sweet rice flour, as well as dying piece of fiber using stencils.
Known for his one-of-a-kind wearable fiber art using natural dyes,
Marshall has been practicing katazome for close to 45 years.
"There's a beauty and long tradition that goes into Japanese textiles," Marshall says.
He learned the technique during a five-year apprenticeship as a doll maker in Japan, starting when he was 17. Marshall explained that doll makers create everything from scratch, including but not limited to carving the statuary of the doll, weaving the silk for their clothing and blowing their glass eyeballs.
Katazome was the step Marshall enjoyed the most and decided to make a career out of it when he came back to the U.S. after his apprenticeship.
"What I try to do with my own work is to incorporate the key aesthetic elements of Japanese costuming and so forth," he said, "but make it so that it's approachable for Westerners."
Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.comSusan Infante of Lisle preps a piece of material to be stenciled and dyed in an introductory katazome (Japanese stencil dying) workshop taught by fiber artist John Marshall of California at the Fine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles on Thursday. Marshall is an expert in the traditional Japanese technique of katazome and travels the world showcasing his work and teaching classes.
Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.comThe inside label of one of the pieces of wearable fiber art by California fiber artist John Marshall, done in the traditional Japanese technique called katazome (stencil dying). Marshall, an expert in the field for forty years, travels the country and world showcasing his work and teaching classes.
Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.comCooked sweet rice flour mixed until smooth is one of the materials used in the "Introduction to Katazome" two-day workshop taught by California fiber artist John Marshall at the Fine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles.