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Background
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I grew up in Austin, Texas with a wonderful family and some of the greatest trees and creeks to explore.
I spent much of my time hiking on the
Barton Creek Greenbelt.
and swimming in the amazing Barton Springs, which were both within walking distance from my house. Growing
up in a neighborhood where I could observe plants and animals thriving and climb huge trees gave me a
perspective of the world that would later influence my artistic self. Shortly after elementary school I
began to feel the need to express my vision of how I saw the world, drawing from what I was observing. This
began by drawing from still lives and photographs that I created myself out of found objects both natural and
man-made. I also became extremely interested in the three dimensional form. After graduating high school I
dove into intensive sculpture and drawing classes at the University of North Texas and the Rhode Island School
of Design. Soon after, I moved to San Francisco to study at the San Francisco Art Institute where I graduated
in 2001 with a Bachelors of Fine Art. Around that time I got my first tattoo of a large tree - I loved trees
so much as a kid, always wanting to pass them on my way somewhere, climb them, and talk to them as my friends.
Before we started, my tattoo artist and I went tree climbing so I could explain why I loved them so much. It
was during this first tattoo process that I decided that I wanted to be a tattoo artist - able to recreate an image
for someone that inspires them to love, to reconnect with the world, and to feel confident in their bodies.
That was the kind of job I wanted to pursue. To this day I am still honored to be doing this work.
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Process
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I book consultations a least a month before the start of the tattoo to ensure that I have enough time
for the outline drawing. During this consultation clients bring any pictures, paintings, or objects that have
inspired their tattoo ideas. Along with these references and ideas I ask each client to bring their schedules
for the upcoming months so that we can book future appointments, as well as a non-refundable deposit that will
go towards the last tattoo session. I charge $180 per hour and ask for $180 to $360 for the deposit depending
on the size of the piece. This first meeting can last any where from a half hour to one hour depending on
the amount of time necessary to communicate our ideas.
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Currently
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In my early years the natural world is what first inspired me to access my own creativity. I am currently
bringing this focus on nature back into my life and am extremely inspired by the flowers and plants that
are so abundantly growing around me in Oakland. If you are interested in working with botanical realism for
your tattoo, please email me your ideas. If this is something that grows in the Bay Area let me know so that I
might be able to observe it first hand, see how it grows, etc. If it grows somewhere else please bring any
images that you might have to our consultation so that I might add it to the research that I will be doing for your
piece. Good luck in your search for tattoo inspiration!
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Contact
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Currently I am booking three to four months in advance and am working Thursday through Sunday. The best way to
get in touch with me is by email at cedre@divingswallow.com.
In your email please let me know what you are interested in getting tattooed as well as the days of the week
that are good for scheduling. Thank you for your interest in my work and I look forward to hearing from you.
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