SUMMERTIME AND THE LIVIN' IS BUSY!

“To fill the hour, that is happiness.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Not a moment lost, not to boredom, delay or stagnancy, nor to apathy or the desire of escape to anywhere but here. This life is to be lived and lived it is as Summer time has demanded nothing less than calculated diligence and despite burning at both ends I couldn’t be more ecstatic! With a few varying art projects in the works, the ever demanding tasks of daily life and of course planning and scheming for future adventures, I’m steadfast in my intent to live without dead time. Between my continuing education at Southern Oregon Art Academy, playing weekend warrior at Off the Map Tattoo – Northwest as well as picking up some extra hours with my partner’s natural skin care and aromatherapy company Wild Rose Herbs, I’ve become ever more convinced that sleep is for the dead.

I’m attending my second year at SOAA continuing my fine art education in preparation for a career in tattooing and I find myself completely absorbed by this endeavor. Overall I enjoy the atmosphere along with the well informed lessons of my instructors despite the fact that at times I find myself struggling to learn particular methods that are often completely foreign to me and not always the most desirable or exciting task at hand. My time at Off the Map Tattoo over the past year and half has been a grand adventure and as of late I have scaled back my hours to focus more on my art. I can’t even begin to convey how truly grateful I am to this amazing company for the opportunities I’ve been presented with and the unexpected support I’ve received along the way.

Projects currently in the works include a few oil paintings, some of which can be seen on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook as progress is made and others that I am not unveiling until they’re complete. I have been doing a lot of sketching and focusing on more illustrative line drawings as practice for potential tattoo designs and will be putting together some custom flash sheets over the Winter. Future plans include some much needed updating and product additions to my online store, an early Fall trip to Keystone, Colorado for the upcoming Paradise Tattoo Gathering and of course I always have a few surprises just waiting for there time to emerge!

All in all, summertime living has been busy and I look forward to the slowing pace of a forthcoming Fall and Winter! Keep a look out for future updates via social networking sites and the occasional blog post. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and thank you for the continuing support. It means the world to me!