Oaxaca

Pigment Hunting

I’ve been travelling the World since my early 20’s to experience other landscapes and cultures. I’ve been fortunate to learn from master natural dyers across several continents, including natural dye block printers in Rajasthan, India, silk yarn dyers and weavers in Laos, large scale cotton dyers in Indonesia and Quetchen dyers using wool yarn in Peru for knitting and weaving.

As many aspects of life and work are on hold somewhat, I’ve chosen to spend some time living in Oaxaca, immersed in vibrant colour and new sensory experiences. I hope to meet some new plants and learn about their gifts and the traditional ways of working with them.

(Rest assured, my online shop is functioning as usual and you can still get all the organic natural dye materials, books and cloth you desire :”) xx Plus dye services in the UK will resume in Spring….I’m hoping I’ll also be able to offer some workshops face-to-face too :) xx)

I’ve always been curious & excited by the vibrant natural dye colours which come from Oaxaca State in Mexico, where ancient dyeing practises are now being kept alive by artisans in various villages.

Oaxaca is a centre of incredible food, artisan craft, mezcal, natural dyes and also a pretty sweet place to hang out. I’ve been here for a few weeks now, initially diving into a world of new experiences - tastes, fragrances, sounds, sights.. I’ve eaten incredible tlyudas and tacos with Oaxacan cheese, cactus and grasshoppers (not my favourite) in. Visited a heap of hipster cafes, anarchist lino print artist studios, mercados selling sacks of spices, incense and tropical fruits. I’m admiring the black clay pottery crafted into vessels with animal heads and vibrant natural dye hand loomed weavings.