That Desert Aesthetic
Julie Bolene’s big and bold tattoos saturated in deep colours are everything I wanted as a tribute to the end of my vacation in Southern California.
I first discovered Julie Bolene’s tattoos through treacle tatt’s video titled “L.A. Tattoo Artists You Should Go To”. At the time, I hadn’t decided that I was travelling to L.A. but followed the artists mentioned because I wanted to expand my knowledge of tattoo artists abroad.
When my good friend Lee and I decided we were going to Southern California to visit our friend Tim, it was only instinctive that I get a tattoo whilst on holiday. Screw the thought of conversion rates of the Aussie to US dollar, I knew we weren’t going back to the US for a while (and then 2020 happened) so scrolled through as many LA-based artists on Instagram in search for the perfect ink.
Then there was Julie, her Instagram is filled with her signature Cactus Babes, portraits of a womxn with cactus as their hair, and tattoos soaked in saturated colours, clean lines and big, bold western vibes.
Set on getting a Cactus Babe on my skin, I hastily emailed for any available dates during my days in Southern California and her assistant later informed me she wasn’t available that week. I was disappointed, not at Julie and the shop, but disappointed at the unfortunate timing. Before heading back to the ‘gram to look for another artist, I received an email later that Julie would be able to come in on her own day off to do the tattoo for me! Bless this woman and her kindness to do that for a random traveller from Australia.
Thunderbird Tattoo in Downtown LA!
Southern California wasn’t without its adventures, the traffic to Los Angeles was, as you would expect, awful. The 24-hour parking lot I had planned to park in was closed for renovations. In search of parking and amenities, I had scuffed someone’s car at a gas station, but thankfully he calmed down after I explained I would sort it out with my international travel insurance. Embarrassed, I parked in some random suburban street in Downtown LA and hid there for an hour before meeting up with Lee at a Starbucks. We caught at Uber together for my tattoo appointment and was greeted by the lovely staff at Thunderbird Tattoo.
Not only is my leg numb, I can’t feel my hip…
Julie had a bunch of Cactus Babes to pick from and I had requested if she could add flowers to the cacti as well. We decided on the side of the calf as the placement because it was a large flat surface and a good area for a tattoo with that much detail. She said she would freehand the flowers during lining, although, I think she forgot. I don’t mind now because it’s still a great tattoo, but I think some delicate little flowers would have distinguished it from other Cactus Babes a bit better.
During the session, we chatted about the bushfires in Australia, what I got up to in California and her trip to Bali. Julie was very gentle and even complimented my skin taking the ink very well. I found the calf didn’t hurt as much, whereas lying in the awkward position was more painful. My hip and butt were numb and I didn’t want to be rude by shuffling around. Next to me, another person was getting a moth tattooed on the sternum and I got tattoo envy! I think I’ll definitely be getting a sternum tattoo in the near future!
The Cactus Babe took about 4-5 hours. As we don’t tip in Australia, I asked Julie if I could tip her and she was happy to receive it. As an extra thanks, I gave her some Aussie chocolates for being really flexible with her schedule and taking the time to tattoo me. Lee and I took an Uber back to our rental car, only to be stuck in traffic AGAIN!
The watermark reads: Tattoo Design Belongs to Julie Bolene, therefore, don’t copy designs!
Despite the weird day, we were nearing the end of our trip and seeing the Cactus Babe on my leg is just a beautiful reminder of our awesome vacation together. When I see it, I’m reminded by our long drives through the sunny skies and dreamy landscapes of Southern California. Thank you, Julie, for an amazing tattoo experience. I hope I’ll be able to receive another tattoo from her in her new shop and will continue to follow her tattoo career for years on end!
Artist: Julie Bolene
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliebolene/
Julie is now based in Santa Fe, New Mexico at HŌJU santa fe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hojusantafe/
