Welcome to The Muse, the blog where you can get a peek at the latest goings-on in the studio!
M’s wild rose + pollinators arm, one down and one to go
L’s Olympic Peninsula thigh, two sessions down, hopefully one to go
M’s overgrown Nike of Samothrace - one session down, one to go
A’s Great Horned Owl thigh, three shorter sessions down, one to go
L’s old growth Cascade forest leg sleeve, 3.5 sessions down, probably 3-ish to go
C’s sphagnum bog back, one down, one to go
Arms are a go-to tattoo placement for so many great reasons: relatively low on the pain scale, easy to show off, skin that heals + holds ink well over time, dynamic movement. You’ll always catch me loving on arms!
Freehand maidenhair fern for M
Rose, poppies, and dahlia for sweet G
Strong-ass Zinnias for strong-ass S
Magnolia + titmouse addition to S’s arm. Forearm healed from a couple of years ago!
There is an inherent magic to the semi-permanence of tattoo as a medium. Honoring the places we love via tattoo can be a powerful grounding ritual, reminding us always of the connection we have to the land that supports us, the soil that feeds our bodies, the air that fills our lungs. During the ample alone time of the past year, I’ve done a lot of reflecting on my practice: what am I’m putting out into the world and why?
Ultimately, my objective as an artist falls somewhere at the intersection of activism, rewilding, and healing. If art can be used to connect people to the places we inhabit, then it can help folks feel held by and connected to the vast myriad of other species that we as humans inextricably interact with. If we can revitalize our inherent connection to the land, we’ll grow passionate about our roles as stewards thereof, and build a life that honors and nourishes it. If we are to have any hope of conquering climate change, it must start with raw, instinctual, animalistic passion for the earth we inhabit. We are biological creatures; the products of countless millennia of evolution aligning us with other species in an intricate, complex, beautiful web of interconnected life. The futures of all life forms on the planet are in our hands, and we exist at a pivotal moment in history.
Tattoos can be a part of that experience for the artist, the wearer, and those they choose to share their piece’s story with. While art cannot singlehandedly solve climate change, it CAN play a part in the collective identity shift necessary to tackle it. And that’s a pretty sweet motivation to do one’s thing.
All of my work contains this intention; the below pieces are just a few recent examples with very clear connections to places near and dear to the client.
Western peony (paeonia brownii) for longtime client, badass explorer of the high desert, and parent to adorable Scottie dogs, M
Texas bluebonnet and Oregon grape for B’s first tattoo! They earn major badass points for sitting through this spicy elbow placement for their first rodeo.
Blue and gold macaw, celebrating A’s Brazilian roots. Two sessions, several mighty spicy spots. Always an honor to tattoo a fellow tattooer!
I adore projects inspired by specific ecosystems. There is something very poignant about getting to commemorate them in a “forever” medium at a time when the ecosystems themselves are absolutely in flux. They’re an invitation for the wearer to have important conversations about our fragile earth with folks who inquire, if they so choose. Maybe one day, they’ll even serve as a memento mori honoring worlds past. Either way, here’s a peek inside the process of one of my recent favorites:
“I am looking to get an Ohio natural history sleeve. Wildflowers: Ghost pipe, EARLY blue cohosh (the early makes a huge difference), wild hyacinth, wild geranium, bloodroot, jack in the pulpit, wild bergamot, trout lily, large-flowered trillium, swamp rose mallow, skunk cabbage, bluets, wild ginger, bloodroot Fungi: turkey tail, shaggy mane, coral, blushing rosette, old man of the woods, cokers amanita, chicken of the woods, mycena Moths: Cecropia, giant leopard moth, luna moth, rosy maple moth, bagworm moth cocoon I am open to you picking and choosing flora and fauna from the list and creating whatever you see as best fit! Thanks for the opportunity to submit a tattoo request. I am absolutely in love with your work and use of placement and negative space.”*
*Included species in italics, design elements they love in bold
The mockup/stencil
After sessions 1 + 2, which we did over two days back to back. If you’re a traveling client looking to cut down on the trips you have to make, this is always an option!
Healed side
Healed front
The original Mark Catesby piece, c. 1722
Midsummer Magic on D
Coneflower + healers for C
Castilleja Coccinea (paintbrush) for J
Rosa gymnocarpa (baldhip rose) for S
Two sessions in on L’s sleeve
Erythronium montanum (white avalanche lily) for S
Another view of L’s sleeve so far
Session 2 on J’s torso…
…Followed shortly by session 3 on J’s torso!
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing lots of repeat clients lately. Here are some of the healed pieces I’ve gotten to see!
Fade to Fall, healed on N
Hellebores, healed on L
Quercus, healed on G
STEM, healed on M
Metamorphosis, healed on L
Apples, healed on L
Thank you, thank you, thank you for these photos, G! This shoot is EXACTLY what healed photo dreams are made of.
When books opened in the fall, J approached me with this incredible project. After beating + recovering from breast cancer, and deciding against risky “reconstructive” surgery, they’re ready to turn their scars into a brambly ode to the outdoors that they love to immerse themself in. My response was a resounding fuck yes. They mentioned that they want ferns to feature prominently and gave me the freedom to design a Cascade forest composition, noting that they are a fan of hermit thrushes, moths, and bunchberry. We met for a consult to check out the scars and get on the same page about what a project like this would entail, then got started this past week. Here’s the work we’ve done so far; stay tuned for more progress as we continue building!
1) Value plan + composition, created digitally
The final piece will be rendered in my tattooing style, but this mockup gives an idea of the composition and value weights to expect. This particular composition is exciting to me because it provides an opportunity to create a visual flow unconstrained by typical breast tissue.
2) Torso and surgical scars before tattooing, healed 2+ years
Tattooing scar tissue is entirely possible as long as the scars have had plenty of time to heal to ensure that the tissue is stable (a year healed is good, two is better). It’s a common myth that getting scar tissue tattooed is more painful than unscarred skin, and while it can be, that’s not universally true. It depends on each individual’s situation. In this client’s case, parts of the scar tissue were notably less painful than the surrounding areas.
3) The stencil
Five pages of stencil paper, a bit of Sharpie, and two hours of fitting later
4) First session - grey wash lined composition
Grey wash lining is a great technique when you need to block in a composition quickly. These lines will heal fairly light, resembling a pencil sketch and providing a blueprint for the value-building work in subsequent sessions.
After this session, I anticipate 3-4 more to complete the project in time for summer. Stay tuned for more progress!
So much gratitude to J for choosing me for + trusting me with this powerful project!
Flowering quince for S, who waited for this specific design for 1.5 years!
Honeysuckle for A, mirrored on clavicle with honeysuckle growth pattern between
Icelandic Poppies for K
Myotis lucifungus and lodgepole pine, commemorating S’s graduation from grad school (two sessions)
Venus as a Rose, for A
I just can’t get enough of thigh + forearm placements!
Fade to Fall on N
Four Hellebores on R
Rosa Rugosa + Lavender on T
Lark Ascending, Ferns + Hips for M
Epiphyllium for M - more coming Next year
Cacao Scientific Illustration for C
Hellebores + Heather for K
Sketchbook pieces + a nod to one of the greats from the November 2020 Waning Moon
Fritillaries, based on Nicolas Robert’s illustration of the same title from Sketchbook A (c. 1650), on M
August Healers, on G
These plums were rendered in two sessions of layered color, where we tattoo the midtones in the first session and then the darks and lights over the top of the healed midtones to enhance the contrast and detail we can achieve. S has taken immaculate care of their piece, which looks nearly identical healed (left) as it did fresh (right). Thanks for taking such great care of your piece, S!
Genus Hepatica knuckles on A
Finger tattoos: I love them, but don’t do them often. Fingers are one of the few spots on the body particularly well suited to very small designs. However, if you’ve ever tried to get a finger tattoo, you may have had a hard time finding an artist who will do them. I typically do not offer them to clients that I do not have an existing rapport with, and only offer them on the tops of fingers. (Palm skin is a different story for a different post.) Here’s why:
Due to the nature of the flexible and durable finger skin, finger tattoos will very likely experience ink fallout and require touchups. Clients and artists need to be on the same page about expectations and have a touchup plan in place going in.
For the same reasons, finger tattoos will not hold detail over time like other areas. The level of tolerable detail loss is different for everyone and is a discussion for each client to have with their individual artist.
Because fingers move around and are touched so much, they can be swollen and/or sore for longer and more prone to infection. Attention to hygiene is key.
There are lots of nerve endings in the fingers. A finger tattoo may be quick, but it will not be comfortable.
Like so many other variables within tattooing,
Having a conversation with the client about what to expect in terms of healing and longevity is the key to everyone leaving happy. For example, A and I have had a conversation about what to expect with these hepatica flowers. They will be seeing me again for more work on their sleeve and knows we will address any necessary touchups then. I’ll keep you posted as these heal!
Sleeves were the name of the game for this week of witchy goodness leading up to the Full Moon in Taurus on Samhain!
Holmes + Watson Owls, on S
Rosebuds, on S
Full arm view on S (shoulder by another artist
Interwoven sleeve progress on L
Botanical Travelogue sleeve progress on A
Late-mid October projects at The Rookery PDX
Many of my pieces are black ink only, but if we need a softer gradient or a finer line, I will bring in grey wash (black ink diluted with water). Grey washes look darker, sometimes even black, when the piece is fresh, but lighten up throughout the healing process, resulting in a gradient that resembles graphite.
The darkest bits are black ink, but note the difference in value fresh vs. healed among the lighter areas (the ribbon is a very easy place to see the difference). A few different concentrations of grey wash were used here, so some greys are darker than others. Results will vary depending on the client’s individual skin and the dilution of the wash, but if your artist mentions grey wash, you can expect to see the area lighten up during healing as this piece illustrates.
Thanks, T, for the great healed photo! Piece based on Nicholas Robert’s Anemones from Sketchbook A, c. 1650
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