BLACKBIRD FOR JULY

The Northwest Indie Perfumers Circuit will continue after a hiatus of two months with a big bash at the Blackbird Apothecary in Seattle to launch my Blackbird fragrance, made especially for them. It’s going to be a celebration of summer in the Pacific Northwest, the dry season when days last almost until midnight and a walk along the country paths and roadsides brings a flood of tangy, sun-warmed evergreen leaves and cedar wood, sun-dried fields, and the unmistakable smell of ripe blackberries.

I envision a sleek blackbird, feathers iridescent in the sun, white eyes popping out greedily as he gorges himself on the big, juicy, sweet fruit, singing his heart out between messy bites. It’s not going to be a sweet gourmand, but rather a fruit-tinged woody scent.The materials that I’m using start with a suite of woody base notes along with a little compatible musk. The dominant material is fir balsam absolute, which is a real pain to work with but worth every curse bestowed on it as I try to weigh it, get it solubilized to the point where I can actually use it, and then clean up its sticky residue. It’s one of the warmest and most delicious of the natural wood materials, giving exactly the sunny atmosphere I’m looking for in Blackbird. Dry, sun-warmed soil and baked grass will be added on top of the woods, and then come the blackberries, created through a tincture of freeze-dried fruit, fruit extract, and some other fruity notes to enhance the whole thing and make it pop.

The Blackbird fragrance will launch the new look of my bottles, too, with sleek printed-on labels and a new bottle cap design. I’m really excited to finish this fragrance, work on packaging, and plan the event itself. Stay tuned for more information about the July event if you’re in the Seattle area, and special Blackbird-related promotions if you’re elsewhere in the universe.

The actual event will take place on Saturday, July 13, from 6:00-9:00 (or whenever they decide to kick us out!) at Blackbird in Ballard, 5410 22^nd Avenue NW, Seattle, WA, 98107. It’s free, there will be good things to eat and drink, and a chance to check out this hip shop.