We’ve been working on Will’s suit for years now, and we’re getting close enough to our vision that I wanted to share an inside look…
I’d love to get started (or push further) with you on yours…
#unknowna #21stcenturybodysuits #manusluxtattoo #blackandgreytattoo #botanicaltattoos
Sarah came down from the city of roses to get two from me, one wild, one domesticated. Maybe there are two sides to ourselves, one bound by tradition, and duty, the past, our family- the other one set out amongst the stars tethered to nothing but the spark contained within our own petals…
If indeed we are bi-axial beings, positioned between wild and mild, then our future is also such. I’m not sure where we will end up, even where we are headed. There have been so many abrupt changes in all of our worlds in such a short time, perhaps disorientation is the new standard.
As usual, I’m grateful for any work that I do to still be relevant to anyone. That someone would still choose to sit with me for a day and dive far deeper than skin, to claw beneath our safeguards and boundaries and do something “permanent”. Something that takes time, and discomfort, and focus. Something akin to stopping and smelling the roses, grabbing the thorns and all.
Thanks Sarah!
#manusluxtattoo #21stcenturybodysuits #sftattoo #unknowna #botanicaltattoos
Approaching our winter firing here @rockrosestudio and looking through the bricks to 2026…
I’d love to start (or continue) some epic new and creative tattoo projects for 2026, either at @manusluxtattoo or at our secret lair in philo-
Hit me up to keep growing, and much love to all you who have supported our small independent businesses
#unknowna
#21stcenturybodysuits
#smallbusinesses
#handmade
My homie who I haven’t seen in many years @joeldanielphillips came into sf for a thought provoking show @cclarkgallery and decided to add to his bodysuit with a layered homage to his favorite huckleberry #vacciniumparvifolium
He’s accomplished so much in the years since we last worked together and my mind is still spinning from how many projects he’s currently involved in.
Working with talented art-loving people over the years as all of our lives grow and change is a great honor and one thing I really love about this medium. It’s so much more than skin deep, really…
Thanks again Joel!
#manusluxtattoo #unknowna #sftattoo #21stcenturybodysuits #botanicaltattoo #joeldanielphillips
Added some tone and color to this homage to Northern California. It’s been years in the making as Sarah powers her way through medical school…I’m always happy I get to be part of the journey with people they move closer to their full selves (or sleeves).
Thanks again Sarah!
#manusluxtattoo #sftattoo #botanicaltattoos #unknowna #21stcenturybodysuits #sftattooartist #quercuslobata #sequoiasempervirens
If you’re into botanical tattoos and want to work on something personal and unique… contact me and let’s talk.
#manusluxtattoo #unknowna #sftattoo #blackandgreytattoo
Koby came to me for his first tattoo on his left leg, and now we’re working on his right. Working with him has been great as he both brings so much of his life and history to the tattoo subject matter, but also gives me a huge amount of freedom and control. It’s made for an inspiring collaboration, and I’m looking forward to our next session quite a bit.
I’ve debated what direction to take tattooing for most of my recent career. Tattooing has exploded with talented artists since I started, with serious painters and illustrators from all walks of image making coming to the medium. I started as an outsider with an education in sculpture/craft, but before that as a client who literally thought I might get one small tattoo to remember a personal crisis I was making my way through, and that might be it for me. The artist I worked with semi-refused to give me the small tattoo I thought I wanted, and instead persuaded me to get a sleeve. I’ll never forget the impact that first long session had on me, and how it didn’t even seem to really be about the beginnings of the unrecognizable markings I now had under my skin, but rather the process and energetics which shook me greatly, and taught me so much.
The process continues to teach me today, and I try my best to look beyond my expectations and ego, and to help my clients channel their own transformations.
Thanks Koby!
#sftattoo #botanicaltattoos #sftattooshop #blackandgreytattoos #handmade #manusluxtattoo #sftattooartist #unknowna
Jim came to me a few years ago with a heavy wrist tattoo, an open mind, and a somewhat vague vision for something deeper and more impacting than his previous tattoo experiences. We had a pretty long talk in person, and agreed to do some emailing. The project started with the goal to help him appreciate the tattoo work he had, while building upon it.
Three years later, Jim is leaving the Bay Area for greener, less expensive and less congested pastures, with two full sleeves. The tattoos which fulfill both client and myself the most are true collaborations- that is, we both listen, share ideas and opinions, and have an open exploration of what is possible. Yes, I do ask for a good amount of control, but yes, I also listen closely and am happy to compromise.
One strange thing I’m finding more and more about tattoo is that success actually removes clients from your list. Unfortunately, Jim only has two arms. Yes, more would help him with his mountain climbing, but it would be hard to find shirts. And so, our work together may have come to an end, though we are both stoked with how our time together was spent.
And so, if you’ve read this far - would you like to have a conversation about your tattoos? There’s never an obligation to do any work with me, nor pressure. Just curiosity, and some enthusiasm about what we could achieve. Even if it seems like every tattoo has been done before, it’s not true. There’s so much left to explore. So many paradigms that haven’t quite shifted enough. Come see me. Send me an email. Leave a comment. I’m curious if you’re out there….
Thanks Jim, it’s been a real pleasure
#unknowna #blackandgreytattoo #21stcenturybodysuits #sftattoo #abstracttattoo #manusluxtattoo
Kelsey came to me to add onto a sunflower we had done years before. It’s quite obvious in these images that the flower itself has settled into her skin for years, while the ink of the stem and leaves is as fresh as could be. Once the fresh part has healed and settled, it will all match- and perhaps symbolically, have moved halfway across the world.
This got me thinking about how many of our interactions in life are brief, captured in moments, not years. Measured in hours, even perhaps minutes. Things which change you forever, but also gone in a blink. We record the passage of time in our bodies, the marks made by life slowly accumulating on our skin, the lessons, the meetings, the conversations build up in our mind. And the old you is gone, something new has grown up in it’s place…
Enjoy the moment!
Thanks Kelsey
#blackandgreytattoo #manusluxtattoo #unknowna #21stcenturybodysuits #botanicaltattoos #sftattooartist
I met Joseph ten years ago when our shop wasn’t ours and had a different name and look. We both did too, I’m pretty sure he was getting his first tattoo, which isn’t pictured here.
Over the years, Joseph has supported the work of many artists who have gotten their start at @manusluxtattoo from @gateeko , @zoeandthemachine , @abigailtattoos , @squidxbones , even visiting artist @da.da_._
Ten years later, as the sun sets behind the hills of Anderson Valley, for a moment it is clear. Not only the sky, but what tattoo means to some of us who fill our bodies with memories, and experiences; not forever, but for the brief, fleeting moment we have together.
Thanks for all the love @youngbrahms
#21stcenturybodysuits #manusluxtattoo #blackandgreytattoo #sftattooartist #abstracttattoo #unknowna
