larch needles newsletter 9/30
hello everyone! autumn is now undeniably upon us, along with the crisp, cool air that i find absolutely addicting. the other day, i went out for a short mushroom forage in one of my usual spots. i didn't get far before i had to turn around. between a gregarious patch of shrimp-of-the-woods (a pallid mycological oddity, resulting from one fungal species parasitizing another) and a hefty fruiting of maitake, my pack and basket were completely filled. the cooler weather has me spending more time sketching and painting outdoors, and i'm working on devoting more time to my art practices outside tattooing. for me, the autumn is a time of creative focus and honing.
september was a great month for me in the studio - the busiest i've ever had by a wide margin, including some of my favorite pieces i've ever worked on. so excited for what october will bring!
recent work
9/17, horsetails
i'm so glad i got to revisit this idea at a larger scale, so that i could better represent the detail! i was pleased to learn that this plant carries a lot of meaning for Beth, who taught me about its symbology.
9/19, paradox lake
my first ever pair of matching tattoos! this was especially fun because, by sheer coincidence, i also have a personal connection to this lake (which is very near where my aunt lives in the adirondacks).
9/19, spatial contortion
i love this texture! however, i have to be honest - it is far from quick to do. this piece was probably the most time-intensive i've done, in terms of time relative to size (almost 5 hours for this piece). so much detail to cover!
9/24, meandering gorge
the chasm is easily the motif i've worked with the most, and it's been so fun watching it evolve over time. this one might be my favorite manifestation of it.
9/25, reservoir heart
this was the ideal custom - a concept that is meaningful to the client, and easily translates to my visual style. ollie wanted my interpretation of a lyric from the Jeff Buckley song "Morning Theft." the line was "heart that beats as both siphon and reservoir," which immediately clicked for me, because i've always been fascinated with how bodies of water and vascular systems mirror one another. i also absolutely love chest / neck placements - such a powerful location on the body.
9/26, emanation
the first of three sessions! large-scale work like this is honestly the best part of tattooing for me. the fae creature below is by Moth Morgenson, and the fact that these two pieces connect makes this even more special for me, and has me really looking forward to Moth joining me in the studio in the near future!
booking
october: bookings seems to have dried up quite a bit. i'm happy to have a bit more downtime this coming month, since it's one of my favorite times to be outside, but i do still have quite a lot of space available (especially on weekdays).
november: i'm happy to start booking appointments for november, leaning towards the earlier part of the month for now.
epilogue
thank you so much for reading! if you’d like to book an appointment, you can begin by submitting a booking form here (and read the info here if you haven’t already). until next time!
-eva