Natural Dyes & Textiles

Jay Lee's natural dye and textile practice connects to centuries-old traditions maintained by master dyers in Oaxaca, Mexico — working with cochineal, indigo, palo campeche (logwood), and marigold on handmade cotton woven on backstrap looms. During the TEXERE residency in Oaxaca (2025), she created 'Oaxaca Landscape' — a 123×300 cm canvas of naturally dyed and pigmented handmade cotton fabric — and 'Recollections in Oaxaca', combining natural-dyed manta with knitted wool, embroidery, and macramé woven on a frame loom. In Buenos Aires (2025), 'Palo Borracho Dreams' used natural dye and ecoprint on linen with silk floss tree flowers, while 'Making a Forest' incorporated plane tree leaves and natural red earth pigment from Misiones, Argentina. The 'Palo Campeche Dreams' series (Mexico City, 2026) features naturally dyed cotton with logwood and white eggshell pigment layered with encaustic. At Salon ACME no.13 (2026), natural dye canvases were exhibited alongside glass sculptures and bioplastic works, demonstrating the integration of textile and material research traditions.