ARTIST APPRECIATION: JOSHUM
It’s not often you get to work with your friends day in and day out. Fortunately tattooing has afforded me the luxury of owning my own studio and being in charge of who I take on to work alongside me. Joshum is one such person I’ve been lucky enough to know for many years and am even luckier now to be graced by his presence at my studio.
I met Joshum as a twenty-something punk rock kid while living in Reno, Nevada. We dwelled in the same music scene, both of us played in various bands and we occasionally played shows together. He also lived in one of the many punk houses responsible for throwing all ages shows in their basements. One house in particular had two Josh’s living there, one a basement dweller, the other Joshum who became known as “Upstairs Josh.” It was at that time that I first really got to know him during a period of my life when I was having trouble finding a place to live and was couch surfing and sleeping in abandoned fields or houses on the outskirts of the city, dumpster diving for food and living that punk rock lifestyle.
We were both playing parts in a poorly written college student’s indie film project titled “Zombie Apocalypse Reno” which to this day Joshum still refuses to watch. I still have the DVD if he ever changes his mind though! I slept on his couch during the filming so I could have some well rested sleep for my debut as an actor. Watch out Academy Awards, here we come!!! Obviously our acting gigs didn’t pan out, but Joshum and I have remained in contact ever since.
As long as I’ve known Joshum he’s been an amazing artist. Much of his work has been seen on a number of band’s album covers, t-shirt designs, show flyers, stickers, pins, patches and so much more. He has a very unique style that stands out from the crowd and for years his friends were telling him he should get in to tattooing. I was stoked when he finally made that leap and even more stoked when he moved from Portland to Grants Pass and became a resident artist at my studio.
Joshum is the resident nerd tattoo artist at Sub Rosa and I don’t mean that as a pejorative. He’s your go to guy for all things nerdy and the depth of his knowledge on various nerd subjects is astounding. Are you looking for some D&D, Star Wars, or Zelda themed tattoos? Joshum has got you covered. Maybe some Dolly Parton or Johnny Cash inspired tattoo ideas or character designs with huge illustrative personalities? Joshum is your guy. Maybe you want an alien smoking a joint or weird one eyed oddities……. Joshum!!!
What I appreciate most about this guy is his dedication to his craft, his willingness to really take the time to talk through ideas with his clients so that he can capture exactly what they’re looking for and how much time he puts in behind the scenes for every tattoo. He’s also a deep well of knowledge when it comes to design in general. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked for his input while creating tattoo designs that saved the piece from being less than par. Aside from all that he’s just a great guy. Gentle, caring, attentive and super smart. I’m stoked to have Joshum at my studio and honored to call him my friend. Thanks for everything Josh, and many cheers to you!!!