Memento

A few months ago (March 2025) my husband and I left Jackson Hole, Wyoming and made our way across the country to resettle in Atlanta, Georgia. The decision to uproot our lives is story for another post but simply put, the journey’s been full of ups and downs.

After 5+ months of new places and new routines I was happy to get a visit form an old friend and dust off the old tattoo machine.

The fact that Hilary was our first out-of-town visitor and came to Atlanta IN JULY should tell you just how good a friend she is.

Hilary (Left) and I kicking around Lake Iroquois in a kayak circa 1997.

I started trying little stick-n-poke tats in college but I wouldn’t say I had any special talent. In fact most of those “pieces” are truly awful. It wasn’t until 2020 that I decided to up my game and invest in a proper tattoo machine.

Most of the work I’ve done has been on myself but over the years I’ve cultivated a small group of repeat “clients”, Hilary among them. I’ve never promoted myself as a Tattoo Artist, I would still call my practice a hobby. Without close friends/ trusting clients near by, I haven’t stretched the muscle in while.

Tattoo stencil inspired by a the cabinet I painted after our move.

The original door panels of the cabinet (pictured above) where glass. In the chaos of unloading our over-stuffed uhaul during this latest move, the glass shattered. A DIY craft project presented itself! Inspired, I fit 2 pieces of canvas and went to work painting the new panels.

Cut to the last evening of Hilary’s visit. She had requested a tattoo prior to coming but wanted the ink to be a memento of her Atl trip.

For the days she was here we had a great time biking around the city. However, it being July, we spend a fair amount of time in my house, AC on, watching Bravo on the couch with a direct view of my retrofit cabinet.

Fresh Ink I slapped on Hilary