My artistic background began with many hours of drawing and filling in coloring books and quickly developed into a high school schedule fully loaded with art classes. In 2004 I received my BFA in Illustration from Hartford Art School. While attending college I was exposed to a wide range of historic and contemporary works which helped to develop my appetite for continuous artistic stimulation. Some of my current influences include Alphonse Mucha, Albrecht Durer, Maxfield Parrish, Chuck Close, as well as styles from Victorian era engravings and textiles, American illustration, graffiti, traditional tattoo, art nouveau, botanical and medical illustration and lowbrow pop surrealism.
Though I had been drawn to tattoo imagery for a while, my interest in becoming a tattoo artist wasn’t fully realized until I had grown tired of the string of non-creative jobs held after college. In 2008 I quit my job and began my education at the Oregon School of Tattoo Arts under the instruction of Rio DeGennaro, a truly old school tattoo guy. Oregon has some of the most strict policies in the country regarding the tattoo industry and requires new artists to pass an exam after completing the state approved curriculum. I became state certified and licensed upon conclusion of my training with Rio in 2009 and have been tattooing since then. I’m now working with a great crew at New Rose Tattoo in SE Portland.
I find the most satisfying part of the tattoo process is the actualization of adorning my clients’ skin with images that are important to them. To have ones exterior disclose what lies within is a phenomenal act of openness. The objective I’ve set for myself is to create designs that are precise, balanced, and achieve natural flow with the body, while fulfilling the desires of the client and creating a long lasting ornament. There is constant challenge and reward to be found in the craft of tattooing, and I love every bit of it.
I also paint in my spare time. I aim for my paintings to be tight, technically sound, and harmonious, just like my tattoo work. I have a fondness for painting on recycled materials such as wood and metal, whose origins began with the earth. It’s my environmentally conscious decision to put these discarded materials to work and I value the secret histories contained in every piece. I fancy painting subjects that are alive with skin, fur, leaves, scales, wings, tentacles and I take great pride in illustrating my love of nature through my work.
Beyond tattooing and painting I can be found at home cooking, drawing, or watching movies with my partner and three cats, or out and about hiking in Forest Park, partaking in a crafternoon with friends, browsing at Powells, or enjoying a dark microbrew.
