After Eaton Fire, tattoo artists turn loss into Altadena-inspired art

The night the Eaton Fire started, Isabela Livingstone was working in her Altadena tattoo studio June Bug, lit only by the sharp beam of her headlamp.

Howling Santa Ana winds had knocked the power out in the strip mall off Fair Oaks Avenue where her shop sat between a pizza parlor and a landscape architect. But Livingstone was determined to finish inking her last client of the night.

“The tattoo itself was a lantern surrounded by smoke, which is very eerie,” Livingstone said. “That’s the last tattoo ever done in that space before it burned down hours later.”

The last tattoo inked at June Bug was that of a street lamp surrounded by smoke.

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June Bug Tattoo

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The five months since that night have been a whirlwind for Livingstone, who through adrenaline, grit and an outpouring of support from clients and the tattoo community has been able to get June Bug’s collective of tattoo artists back to work.

They opened a new Eagle Rock location in April that mirrors the calm, warmly-lit original location designed to welcome women, the queer community and people of color.

But Livingstone has not forgotten about Altadena, where her father and grandparents lived and where she attended the Pasadena Waldorf School. She and her fellow tattoo artists have inked more than 100 fire-affected residents who have been using tattoo art as a form of healing and remembrance.

A tattoo designed by Isabella Livingstone incorporates multiple nature elements of Altadena including a coyote, a pine tree and wildflowers.

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June Bug Tattoo

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“There's so much mutual aid out there and help with clothing and resources,” Livingstone said. “But I noticed what was really needed was an acknowledgement of the loss. And tattooing is an incredible way to support someone through loss.”

She and the June Bug artists have pre-drawn "flash" designs that include the name “Altadena” in stylized fonts, images of beloved local animals like bears and bunnies, and landmarks like Fox’s restaurant — as depicted by its fox logo on a wall next to a table and chair, and Rancho bar, as represented by the silhouette of a cowgirl that adorned its signage.

Many residents have chosen these flash designs, but some have worked with artists on custom art.

In consultation with Livingstone, Kari Kretch settled on a delicate black-and-white line drawing of a phoenix on the inside of a forearm.

Kari Kretch chose a tattoo of a phoenix in flight to mark the life-changing event of living through a fire.

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Kari Kretch

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“When I look down and I see this tattoo, it makes me kind of feel strong,” said Kretch. “It reminds me of the strength that I need to remind myself that I have.”

One client worked closely with Isabella Livingstone on how to to render the image of one of the parrots seen flying over Altadena.

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June Bug Tattoo

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Kretch, an assistant professor at the University of Southern California teaching biokinesiology and physical therapy, said life has been filled with uncertainty since the fire destroyed the home she shared with her husband and 7-year-old son.

Like so many others in Altadena, their house was underinsured. Their insurance through the state’s FAIR plan didn't cover rental costs. Through the generosity of friends and family, they’ve been able to rent an apartment while forging ahead with plans to rebuild.

The idea to get a tattoo — her first one — came amid the tumult.

“I wanted to honor this enormous life-changing thing that had happened to me,” Kretch said. “I don't know. Maybe something about losing everything and wanting to have something that is a part of me that I can't lose was part of the appeal.”

Surviving the fire also inspired Kazi Pitelka, a retired musician who has lived in Altadena since 1995, to get her first tattoo at age 72.

She and her husband are staying in a friend’s backyard unit, waiting for their home to be remediated. While the house is still standing, Pitelka lost a barn and 25 trees.

Pitelka got the idea to get a tattoo after seeing that June Bug had held a one-day event offering free flash tattoos for fire survivors.

She knew whatever tattoo she picked would be a symbol of her love for the community. The question was where to place it.

“At 72, we're not as firm as we used to be, and it was important to me, not only for it to show — I didn't want it to hide it on my shoulder under my clothes — but to put it in place that that would last and look good for a long time,” Pitelka said.

Kazi Pitelka, a retired musician from Altadena, chose a hummingbird and a lemon tree to be her tattoo as reminders of home.

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Kazi Pitelka

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Livingstone helped her choose the lower left forearm to place a flowering lemon tree branch, wrapped in the words “Beautiful Altadena,” as a hummingbird hovers close.

It's an homage to her property, where she lost 25 trees and a barn. Six hummingbird feeders remain in her orchard. Usually around dusk, hundreds of birds flock to her home.

“I love this tattoo,” Pitelka said. “Sometimes it even makes me a little teary, because it's so representational of my home, and that gives me comfort."

Livingstone said she hopes that a decade from now, when Altadena will hopefully have recovered and kept its unique character, the tattoos she's inked will serve as symbols of residents' resiliency.

Another tattoo given to Altadena resident Genevieve Miller replicates art from her kitchen floor, destroyed along with her house in the Eaton Fire.

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Genevieve Miller

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Altadena resident Rebecca Stumme got a tattoo of a matilija poppy.

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Rebecca Stumme

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"It would mark a moment in time where a community of really incredible people overcame something really difficult," Livingstone said. "I just hope it carries that meaning through the years."