hand~poked tattoos & other odd art

Photo by Cally Nicole / @found.wanting

I make non-electric/hand-poked tattoos out of a private studio on Treaty 6 territory (so-called “Edmonton” AB, Canada). I am a white settler of German, Slavic, Scottish and Jewish ancestry. I am queer & non-binary, disabled, and very leftist. I originate from Regina, Saskatchewan, and studied at the University of Alberta (ended up with a BEd, majoring in visual Fine Art). While there, I focused on printmaking, sculpture, performance art, art history, world history, and film studies.

I have been tattooing full-time since 2020 and I have DIY, self-taught & community-taught roots. My tattoo style tends to be a mix of black and grey illustrative, etching/intaglio printmaking, surrealism, scientific illustration, and abstract dotwork/ linework inspired by patterns in nature - though I love to do color work every once in a while! I’ve had a lifelong interest in anatomy, paleontology, microbiology, and ecology which has also influenced my work.

After teaching secondary school and college briefly, I switched careers during the pandemic in 2020. I have since been working as a full-time tattooer and interdisciplinary/multimedia artist. Tattooing and personal service work feel so natural as a progression. My favourite part of being a person who educates and serves others is getting to know people as individuals and the satisfaction of creating a safe space for someone to self-actualize even when vulnerable.

My favorite subject matter to tattoo includes: art history & historical illustrations, medieval imagery, mildly psychedelic visuals, creatures of all kinds, plants & fungus, armor & weaponry, bones, blasphemy, bugs, film, creepy things, cozy food, liminal spaces, nostalgic household objects, and European folklore. My interests span the silly to the sacred (and why not both?). My work sometimes features religious imagery (Catholic) or political themes touching on disabled liberation, queer and trans liberation, environmentalism, anti-police, anti-racism, and anti-fascism.

I try to keep tattoos & my work accessible for all folks by offering pay-what-you-can and free/pro-bono services to those in marginalized communities (priority goes to BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, disabled, low-income, those impacted by houselessness or incarceration, or those desiring tattoos for gender-affirming or cover-up purposes). This is a trust-based system to make body modification art accessible to everyone and I will not ask questions.

In my non-tattooing work, I specialize in murals, sculpture (clay and polymer), sculpted jewelry, digital illustration, printmaking (usually lino or woodcut), and bone processing & articulation (taxidermy). I have two cats (see below) and while not tattooing I’m probably watching scary movies, sewing a sci-fi costume (poorly), crafting strange decor for my home, looking for cool rocks, doodling, and going on research deep dives.

I am continuing to improve my practice in client-centered, trauma-informed ways for all. I have completed (and refer back to all the time) the Trauma-Informed and Justice-Centred Tattooing online course by Tamara Santibañez and have been striving to align my tattoo practice & space around the principles in the tattoo bible “Tattooing as Liberation” (Santibañez, 2020). I have current Bloodborne Pathogens certification, Standard First Aid (CPR-C, AED), ASIST training, & WHMIS training. I am fully vaccinated & receive all annual boosters, and regularly test for COVID.