Jason: Hey Courtney. Let’s talk about food styling and tattoos. Tell me a little bit about the inspiration leading up to our collaboration.

Courtney: Within the food styling world I wasn’t seeing a lot of things that really excited me over the last couple years. Also, I had a lot of strange realizations on set with the crossover of tattooing and food styling. You have to be super-hygienic and you have to wear gloves, for the most part. I mean, definitely with tattooing. You have your little tools and your little kits and your little set-up. I hadn’t really seen a concept that involved my two favorite things— food and tattooing. So I thought I should make that happen.

Jason: It’s all about combining two subjects that you are really passionate about.

Courtney: Exactly. Yeah. I wasn’t seeing it anywhere and I was like, “oh wait, maybe that’s because it’s a very specific ‘me’ thing and I should do something about it.”

Jason: Could you tell me a little bit about the process of tattooing fruit? Do people learn that way?

Courtney: I mean, yeah. I wouldn’t say that, exactly. Maybe that’s not how the old heads did it, or maybe it is. Once you get your first tattoo machine, maybe your friends are a little scared to get tattooed by you. You have to find alternatives. And usually it’s a citrus, like a grapefruit or something with a big enough surface to put a cool palm-sized tattoo on there. And I wouldn’t say it’s the exact same as skin, but it a good template. It’s a good surface or faux-skin to learn on, for the most part.

Jason: And so for our shoot the idea was that these fruits were bad boys getting tattoos.

Courtney: They’re a little sassy. They’re a little fruity. A little young and naive. And they’re breaking their little sweet edge.

Jason: Were you young when you got your first tattoo?

Courtney: I was 18. I wanted tattoos for as long as I could remember. “You mean to tell me that you can just permanently have art on your body?” I was super into drawing and painting as a kid. I thought that’s what I was going to pursue. The tattoo ideas I had as a teenager were pretty bad, though.

Jason: I think most people aren’t fully aware of the capabilities tattoo artists possess. Also, you’re still developing taste. Often I find that most people’s first tattoos are pretty bad. 

Courtney: The irony is that now I love shitty tattoos.

Jason: Oh yeah, yeah. Me too. These days I’ll get whatever. Once you have enough, you take it less seriously.

Courtney: Totally. And I used to want my tattoo vision portrayed exactly. Whereas now I’m more interested in the story behind it versus having this hyper-specific, extremely meaningful thing. I think, well, my best friend doesn’t know how to tattoo, but I love them. I would like something on my body from them. I always remember that kind of tattoo more than say, my first tattoo, which was this really shitty realistic picture of a pug face. It just seems silly that I was so hardcore about what I was getting back then versus now. I’d much rather have a stick and poke from a friend that’s never tattooed in their lives. I think it’s just so much more interesting.

Jason: The actual experience versus what the artwork is— I think that carries a lot of weight. I have a tattoo of a silly little sheriff cat that my friend Kyle had sketched on a napkin. I had to get it.

Courtney: That’s awesome. That’s what I’m talking about, dude.

Jason: Did food styling come after tattooing?

Courtney: Yes. Food styling happened in the last three years. I heard about it in 2020 when I was working as a line cook at Kismet. Someone mentioned that I should get into food styling. And then my entire brain popped when I found out that you could have a career making food look really pretty. I decided to just drop everything and pursue it and see what happens.

Jason: Speaking of food styling, we were really experimenting with this shoot. You had the idea to pour that sugar syrup all over the produce. What was it called? 

Courtney: Oh my god. Karo. Corn Syrup.

Jason: That really made it for me. We were aiming to make all these graphic, poppy, colorful, unique images. I’ve always been drawn to color especially.

Courtney: Yes, and I had those bright red latex gloves too. Those gloves appear a bit provocative, and also kind of suggestive with the banana, right? I thought, let’s push it a little bit further, playing off of the taboo nature of tattoos.

Jason: We didn’t really have any premeditated shots in mind. We had written down a few little phrases to use, but for the most part, it was all spur of the moment. 

Courtney: The whole shoot was very organic, which is why I think I enjoyed it so much. We had the loose idea, but then it just strayed so far and it got so much cooler and weirder. So much of commercial food styling is trying to please a client or deliver some very specific ideas. With this shoot, we could let the creative juices flow. 

Jason: Much like the tattoos, this shoot was an organic experience. I felt inspired to make even more images. I think a good experience begets another good experience. It’s always worthwhile to pursue a creative idea and see where it leads. Just do it, right?

Courtney: Yeah. I’m seriously so thankful and stoked at how this all turned out. 

Jason Travis is a photographer, director, designer, and musician based in Los Angeles. His gift of colorblindness imbues his art with a playful charm, weaving together a unique tapestry of hues and shades. He was TPJ’s 2020 Photographer-in-Residence.
Website | Instagram

Food Stylist & Tattoo Artist: Courtney Weis

Check out Jason’s other TPJ photo essays:
Suburban Youth
Lull
Mind Glow
Alliance
Vanished Spirits
Paradigm
Sye
Grlswirl
Somewhere
Ellissa & Harry
Alley Cat
Flowers or Fruit
Universal
Elemental
Kinetic
Isolation Station
Allergy Academy
Niza Jay
Inner Child
Delineation
Headspace Parade
My Blue Heaven Happy Place
On A Roll
Bright Idea
Lighting a Cosmic Fire
Human Collective
Plays Well With Others
Sunny Up