“I love giving praise to the overlooked life forms that ask for nothing,” he tells me. “The plants are never picked or cut; they are left to grow, one of my personal rules.” Botanical silhouette tattoos are the focus of Tedd Hucks’ newest art series. In the hours before day turns to dusk, he snaps photos of wild plants and grasses. Looking beyond each subject, he studies the shadows, instead. From here, his tattoo stencils are born.

Hucks’ “Shadows Tattoo Project” is also a meditation on the fleeting and fragile nature of life. “As a tattoo may fade or blur over time, so do the shadows with the setting of the sun. It’s especially important in this complicated day to listen and notice these things… to slow down and be mindful, to embrace life, the aging process, and the shadows we leave behind.”

Images © Tedd Hucks