John Marshall, of Covelo, California, is an incredible fabric artist who designs clothing using the traditional Japanese katazome and tsutsugaki techniques to color the fabrics he uses in clothing he designs and sews himself.
John Marshall is an internationally known textile artist working with techniques of paste resist dyeing. He produces a wide range of sophisticated and colorful designs, many of which show the influence of his years of study in the Orient.
John grew up in the small town of Florin, just outside of Sacramento, California. Before wartime evacuations, Florin had been one of the largest Japanese-American communities in the United States; after the war many returned to reclaim lost years and property. These are the friends and neighbors John and his five brothers and sisters grew up among.
John’s Godmother, the late Mary Tsukamoto, was a great influence in his life: teaching him to read and write the Japanese language and sharing with him her great love of her cultural heritage.
At the age of seventeen, having worked and saved toward his goal for many years, John was off on his own to discover Japan. His eagerness to learn secured him private instruction under a variety of specialists in doll making, centered around the Yamato style. John was intent on studying the many facets of these shell-faced dolls, such as carving, weaving, dyeing, and sewing, to name just a few. His knowledge of the Japanese language proved to be of great benefit in understanding the subtleties of the culture.
The internationally published paper artist, Kunio Ekiguchi, took John under his wing and saw to it that he received the proper introductions so necessary in Japan. Mr. Ekiguchi arranged an apprenticeship for John with the late Matsuyo Hayashi, a master dyer in the bingata style of paste resist. Through her insight and careful instruction, John became truly fascinated with this ancient art form. Mme. Hayashi had long dreamed of sowing the seeds of her art abroad. Upon her death, John discovered she had willed much of her lifetime collection of work, supplies and equipment to him. John was determined to fulfill her wishes by bringing her techniques to the West.
Continuing his research into ancient cultures and dye techniques, John aims to interpret the sensibilities and aesthetics of the ancient and ethnic world through the Japanese paste resist process, using the actual plants and insects employed in making the original dyes. John’s research so far has taken him to Japan, Thailand, Italy, Indonesia, and the Yucatan. Through the generosity of collectors, he has had the opportunity to view first hand a wide range of ancient and ethnic textiles and artifacts which have served to influence his fabric designs.
Today John is in the midst of renovating an old flour mill in the Old West town of Covelo, nestled in the remote mountains of Mendocino County of Northern California. A generous 12,000 square feet, the new studio is used to display the full range of his work intermixed with art pieces collected at home and abroad. Situated on an acre of land complimented with over 300 wisteria vines gracefully covering a redwood arbor, this sun-filled space is also used to host lectures and as a classroom for teaching a wide range of Japanese crafts: dyeing, bookbinding, doll making, paper crafts, sewing, color theory and production, and textile history.
John has also taught programs for the past twenty five years for a wide range of institutions including a number of years at the Pacific Basin School of Textile Arts in Berkeley, and through UC Berkeley Extension Services, as well as lecturing extensively to large groups through museums, guilds, embassies, and universities internationally. He is currently working on a project to teach his design concepts to Japanese students of kimono design in Tokyo.
Specializing in one-of-a-kind works of art, John takes on commissions and new challenges. He produces primarily large interior hangings and luxurious clothing. All of John’s work is designed, dyed, and constructed for actual use. All hues are colorfast to repeated washings and to light. Personally executing all stages going into the creation of each piece is one of his great joys.
John Marshall’s work is collected internationally. He has done commission work with traditional kimono in Japan and also produces pieces for stockbrokers, professors, art collectors, and many international figures including European royalty. He travels regularly, showing to his private clients throughout North America and Asia. His work was also carried by leading galleries throughout North America.
John is writing a series of instructional books. The first was published by Kodansha International, 1988, on the subject of Japanese sewing techniques and design concepts for use in the western world. The title is Make Your Own Japanese Clothes: Patterns and Ideas for Modern Wear. This will be followed by a number of other books, including one on his unique dye techniques. His video, Japanese Textile Dyeing: Introduction to Paste-Resist Techniques, released through A/zo Productions, covers the basics of using natural dyes with Japanese Paste resist methods.
John is eager to share information and ideas, with the hope of helping the seedlings of Japanese dyeing and crafts to grow and enrich all our lives.
I have had the privilege to take dyeing and katazome classes from John, and appreciate his warm, friendly personality and the structure and organization of his workshops and classes. I hope to continue learning from John in the future.
I am a magpie at heart – I love shiny objects. As a kid, I used to drive my mother nuts because I liked rhinestone buttons on my dresses and gaudy costume jewelry. These days, I am more conservative, or at least demonstrate better taste, than I did when I was five years old as far as clothing. But, I am still irresistibly drawn to sparkles – splashes in water – spider webs in the morning light – flickery sun in dark shadow.
Ink, Yarn & Beer 