QuickTake:

The sound of buzzing tattoo machines is everywhere at Evergreen Tattoo Invitational, which features artists and clients creating and receiving tattoos. Competitions are also part of the expo. It runs through Sunday at the Lane Events Center.

Daniel Avelar doesn’t let anyone tattoo him — except Juju Manalang.

So when Manalang, a Chicago-based artist who works for the Evanston, Illinois, shop Sweetheart Ink Tattoo, was headed to Eugene for the annual Evergreen Tattoo Invitational, so was Avelar.

“It’s very green here,” Avelar said while lying on his stomach as Manalang worked on a large, detailed back tattoo. “The air smells better here than in Chicago.”

Chicago tattoo artist Juju Manalang works on a back piece for Daniel Avelar at the Evergreen Tattoo Invitational being held in Eugene. Avelar, who also traveled from Chicago for the event, said he doesn’t let anyone other than Manalang tattoo him. “He’s soft with his hands,” Avelar said. “Everyone’s saying, how bad these are going to be, so painful. This feels therapeutic to me.” Credit: Annie Aguiar / Lookout Eugene-Springfield
A close-up of Manalang tattooing Avelar. Credit: Annie Aguiar / Lookout Eugene-Springfield

The artist-client pair were among hundreds of tattoo artists and enthusiasts who flocked to the Lane Events Center from across the country for the opening day of the Evergreen Tattoo Invitational. The hall was filled with machine buzzes as needles dispensed ink, as well as tattoo recipients in various states of undress getting inked up.

The Evergreen Tattoo Invitational runs through Sunday, March 22. Attendees can rubberneck as people get tattoos, book time slots to get their own tattoos and watch as artists participate in tattoo contests.

Portland tattoo artist Dominick McIntosh of Esoteric Tattoo continues work on a piece for Patrick Snyder. McIntosh has been coming to Evergreen for 10 years. McIntosh said tattooing in public in front of passersby was like cooking while on a camping trip. “It’s harder,” he said. Credit: Annie Aguiar / Lookout Eugene-Springfield

Tickets to the event are available online, at $18 for a one-day pass and $45 for full weekend admission.

Evergreen was created by a pair of married tattooing couples, Joshua and Nichole Carlton of Eugene and Riley and Erin Smith of Springfield. Joshua died in 2024 after an extended cancer treatment. 

Multiple artists at Evergreen said they first started coming to the show specifically because of Joshua Carlton’s work and role in the tattoo industry.

Minneapolis tattoo artist Remedy Rook tattoos Jessica Work of Olalla, Washington. Work came to Eugene specifically to be tattooed by Rook. “I’ve been wanting to come for the last couple of years,” Work said. “I peruse the artists every year and look through the work and see what speaks to me.” Credit: Annie Aguiar / Lookout Eugene-Springfield

“I got to be kind of friends with him (Joshua Carlton) towards the end of his life, and he invited me to do a guest spot at his shop and also invited me to be at Evergreen,” said Remedy Rook, a Minneapolis-based tattoo artist known for their neon, computer-glitch style works of botanicals. “I came because of Josh, and it’s been a really great place. I’ve had a warm welcome here.” 

Others, like Renton, Washington’s Hannah Smith of Aries Inkz, were focused on the contests during the expo, which has different categories for pieces created before the show and for tattoos done during the event. Smith convinced her best friend, Alyssa Oord, to let her do a full back tattoo for this year’s contest. 

Hannah Smith works on a tattoo for her best friend Alyssa Oord. Smith and Oord came to Eugene from Renton, Washington. Smith, who runs the tattoo shop Aries Inkz, asked Oord to let her tattoo a full back piece to enter into Evergreen’s contests. “Sometimes it gets harder tattooing people that I love, because when they’re in pain, it’s a little bit rougher — the empathetic side of me,” Smith said. “But you know, I usually just put headphones in. They put headphones in and power through.” Credit: Annie Aguiar / Lookout Eugene-Springfield

“I’m just a very competitive person,” Smith said. “I used to play sports, so this is a way for me to keep evolving in my craft and stay competitive.”

For Oord, the motivation was simpler. 

“I’ve always wanted my back done, and she offered so I was like, ‘Let’s do it,’” she said.

Alyssa Oord of Renton, Washington, was reading a book while her best friend Hannah Smith worked on a tattoo. Credit: Annie Aguiar / Lookout Eugene-Springfield

Annie Aguiar is the Arts and Culture Correspondent. She has reported arts news and features for national and local newsrooms, including at the Seattle Times, the Washington Post and most recently as a reporting fellow for the New York Times’ Culture desk covering arts and entertainment.