tumbleweed_tattoo

One day, waaay back in the 00s ;) when I was getting my bearings in Portland and discovering the green spaces around town, I walked the big loop at Oaks Bottom. At one point I got curious about an old building up to the left of the path, so I ran up the embankment and peered in one of the windows, and saw that it was a mausoleum.
20 years later, that’s where I go when I need to take a break from work / touch grass / connect with the river and the trees.
One thing I didn’t know until this year is that that mausoleum across the street from my studio is where Sailor George Fosdick was interred, nearly 80 years ago. Feels like so much has happened in the past five years, but in the past 80?!? In 1946, when Sailor George passed, my dad’s dad had just been discharged from the navy, my parents had yet to be born, and Bert Grimm – Sailor George’s protégé – was only halfway through his storied life.
Anyway. Here’s some Old Portland magic, and the companion piece to the last drawing I posted. See my last post for the designs’ source photo.
Holler if you want it! 160 for black ‘n’ grey, 180 for color.

Happy Holidays!
I wanted to post some celestial bodies for this New Moon / Solstice vortex we just passed through, but I’ve been limiting myself to a couple hours of design work every day, so I’m a little late. . . But I’m stoked on how this project is coming together
While looking online for Bert Grimm’s original sun/moon designs, I fell down a rabbit hole and learned about Sailor George Fosdick, Bert Grimm’s mentor, who slung ink in Portland and Seattle between the 1910s and the 1940s.
Then I came upon some photos of the heavily tattooed Captain Elvy, who had some familiar looking designs on his knees.
Who knows who originally made the designs. Might’ve been Sailor George, might’ve been Sailor Gus, might’ve been Charlie Weston, might go back to a port of call one of them visited during their time in the service . . . And who knows what the original tattooer’s source material was . . . It could have come from a book, a rug, wallpaper, a temple, or any number of places, traditions, crafts, artists, till you get back to a moment of inspiration – or necessity – when some unknown artist in some unknown time and place made an image of the sun in some unknown medium.
Regardless of where these came from, I enjoyed copying them and then breathing new life into them. I’m going to keep working on these old designs and giving them glow-ups consistent with my personal experience of the aesthetic zeitgeist.
Oh yeah, 160 for b/g, 180 for color. HMU

Whew! This month’s been a wild ride . . . But I managed to get some merch listed on Etsy before Cyber Monday, so I’m giving myself a gold star for that 🌟
Come have a gander, I'm offering 33% off merch through Tuesday! I’m also offering free domestic shipping for orders of 35+, so getting a hoodie now is a fkn steal 🦝 etsy.com/shop/TumbleweedsUpcyclery / linktree in bio.
If you're local and you want to come up on some art or a gift certificate or anything that's not listed, DM me and come by the studio - it's all on sale.
Thanks for looking, and happy holidays 🎄

Another Bert Grimm flash piece. Simple enough drawing but it took me all day to gussy it up for IG. I gotta go back to pens 'n' paints, this digital s**t ain't it 😭
$185. Just moved the decimal over 😂

Whatchoo know about Portland’s tattoo history?
Here’s my take on a monkey face from an old Bert Grimm flash sheet. $180 in black ‘n’ grey or $220 in color. DM if you want it!

Portland! Doors just opened here at the Expo Center and there's some badassery in the forecast for the weekend 💪 Pull up and get your fix of lowriders and tattoos, we'll be here through Sunday 🤙

Healed pic of this floral forearm tattoo I did in the spring. It’s always an honor to give someone their first tattoo, and this one was no exception :)

Not sure how this all happened, but summer’s ending in 17 days (16 if you read this tomorrow) 🤯 I think this is my last street fair of the season - if I haven’t seen you yet this summer I’d love it if you stopped by! And if I *have* seen you this summer I’d be happy to see you again 😊
I’m stoked to be closing out an awesome vending season with this one – it’ll be my first Clinton St Fair as a vendor and I’m excited to be part of such a great event in such an awesome neighborhood 🙌
I’ll be set up at the midpoint between Division and Ivon on the west side of the street. Pull up!

Happy birthday to my favorite artist!
I wanted to make a reel of some of my favorite MC Escher pieces, but
A. It’s all of them
B. Time
So here’s a pic of one I tattooed years ago! I’d love to do more, especially some good tessellations! Or any of them, really – I don’t think I’d ever say no to an Escher project 😂 HMU with your ideas ✒