A peek behind the veil
It’s hard to know where to begin.
There are so many things I could say about the sacred art of tattooing and the reasons why we choose to mark our skin. Yet it always, for me, seems to come back to this reclamation of self. Which is where this journey begins.
I was born into a highly alternative family. They are the kind of people who celebrate and embraced the outcasts, the anarchists and the anti-conformists. The perfect support system for an artist child.
They encouraged me to enter my first art competition at age 11, for an initiative called “Trackside Art Gallery” in Esquimalt, where I won first place in the province for my age category. This was a pivotal moment in my life, Trackside really solidified my love for art and helped motivate me to stick with it.
Growing up, tattooed people and tattoos were always a part of my life, I remember my folks asking me at 16 if I wanted them to co-sign for my first one. However, it’s funny how no matter where you come from, you’re always going to rebel against your parents. But what happens when your parents are rebels?
I was a really good kid, I loved school, I worked hard, didn’t really party and had really good grades. I tried hard to carve a path out for myself and was searching for what that might look like. Yet, I just couldn’t shake the way I felt and I kept coming back to the same thing.
Art was like a warm blanket, this all consuming obsession and connection with the unknown. It offered a freedom and liberation that just couldn’t be matched by any level of comfort or stability. I knew in my grad year, despite all criticism and fear, that I was going to devote my life to becoming an artist.
I started freelancing in the tiny town that I grew up, I would work on commission projects, paint mailboxes, chicken coops, murals and billboards for local farmers markets and events. The day after graduation I moved out of my folks house and into a tent on my friend’s parent’s property.
I had started working at an organic vegetable farm in a tiny town called Grinrod. They had a WOOFING program where I would work for a portion of “room and board” (access to a shower and some communal meals) as well as some cash.
I spent 4 months in that tent, working to save every penny I could to move to the “big city” of Victoria B.C. I knew that if I was going to make it, I needed guidance and opportunities that my small town just didn’t supply.
So in November 2010, I landed in Victoria and I hit the ground running. It was pretty difficult to get the ball rolling but I tried my best to seek similar opportunities in the city. I tried my best to find some sense of balance, at one point I took a Yoga Teacher training course and started teaching Hatha Flow. I quickly realized that any other "career path" was going to require too much time and energy. I needed to focus all of my energy on my art, despite my love for the healing modalities. At that point, I switched to gigs with less commitment and tried to make art as much as I could before and after my shift.
I freelanced for the first 10 years in Victoria, I would sell my paintings at Cafes, markets and restaurants, attend art shows and I eventually started to meet people in the community. My first gallery showing was at Rockslide Gallery run by Logan Ford, which at the time operated out of Rock Bay. They also had a small display window in the downtown core, that they shared with The Ministry of Casual Living that offered a little more exposure. I worked on some local wall murals and painted window murals around town during the holiday season.
I was multidisciplinary for a long time, trying everything I could to find my path. Working on hand silkscreened, upcycled clothing with my designs that I sold at The Little Shop of Strange and Cavity Curiosity. I had a short stint vending artwork at music festivals like Luminosity Music Festival, where I made sculpture jewelry, live painted and even painted some mannequins. No matter what I tried, it was so hard to support myself with my art alone. Often times working multiple jobs or only being able to do art full time for a couple of months. During my toughest moments, I would fill a backpack full of art, postcards, prints, ect and hit the streets. I would walk around town all day talking to people, networking and trying to sell things to strangers. As tough as it was, this helped me connect and meet so many of the talented street musicians, buskers, artisans and artists that made this city colourful. It helped me build community and people started to point me in the right direction.
This direction led me right back to what I had always known, in my heart of all hearts, the thing my parents always encouraged me to get into… and that was tattoo.
The tattoo journey
My tattoo journey is a messy one, people always ask me “how did you get into this?”. Little do they know it would be such a loaded question. I usually try to sum it up candidly with some comedic commentary about how it gave me character, it really did. I went through 3 shops during my apprenticeship and had a difficult time getting the guidance I needed. I was struggling to pay my bills, working multiple day jobs, dumpster diving and working much of my time in shops for free.
Honestly speaking, when I first started getting into tattooing, it felt like starting from scratch at the time. I felt like I was being forced to abandon the last 10 years of my life. Like a living depiction of the tower card, I crumbled under the pressure and grief. There was a death happening and I was being reborn into a totally different version of both myself and how I identified both as a person and as an artist.
When I say that my experience gave me character, I reflect on the values I inherited, motivation, resilience and the thick skin I learned to develop. I see how the people in my journey sculpted me and I see them mirrored both in my work and in my character.
I started by heading to Painted Lotus Tattoo first, I worked close by and I admired all of the artists working there. They were never in a position to take me on but Scott Robertson went out of his way to give me homework, look at my drawings and teach me how to build a solid portfolio. He is the reason I got my foot in the door and I am forever grateful. Along the way there were a few people that really stuck their necks out for me, offered advice and feedback and were constantly supportive.
Isaac Holland that owns Porchlight in Victoria was one of the first artists I met that made an impact on me. I had gone to several art shows showcasing his work along side other artists over the years, I was a huge fan of both his tattoos and his fine art. Creating a balance between the two worlds that I still strive for today. When I met him, he was raw, unfiltered, but kind. He was keen to look at my work and give me some pointers and advice. He continued to be a role model for me for years through his collaborative efforts, drive and punk rock attitude towards art as a whole that I really resonated with. Although our styles are vastly different, I’m still working to adapt much of the same energy in how I run my business.
Lee Conklin was a huge help durning my apprenticeship and approached critiques in a direct and constructive way that I really respected. I admired his commitment to self improvement and finding the zen in life and the creation of art.
Kirsten Wale was like a tattoo mother to me, her calm demeanour, grace and the way she treated her clients stuck with me and inspired me to try to live by a similar model.
Dustin Logan, that now works in Toronto, was incredibly kind, silly and happy go lucky. His illustrative abilities really inspired me to work on more dynamic drawing styles and to work on studying anatomy so that I could work on creating lively characters that could exist in all realms. I really loved how despite how talented he is, he never takes himself too seriously. I see much of my drawing style inspired by him now later in my career.
Luna Lucero is an important person on this list for me, her and I started our tattoo careers roughly at the same time. Luna had a really solid foundation in portraits and classical painting that made her an incredibly strong artist right off the start. Her passion and interest in traditional tattoos, tattoo history and tattoo application built her skills incredibly fast and transferred over into her own unique illustrative style that was both bold and feminine. Luna was my greatest friend and ally coming up in the scene and she never held back in regards to telling me exactly what I needed to improve my skills and my designs. I highly respect her direct communication and it always translated as genuine care and a means to see me succeed. Luna has absolutely been an influence in my tattooing style and I see all her tid bits of advice reflected back in my strongest pieces. Our bond later would be the reason I moved up island and would eventually end up in the shop she built, Blackwater Electric Tattoo.
There are more honourable mentions I’m sure but these are the people that really stuck out during my apprenticeship/ foundational years that I have the upmost respect for.
The truth is, the 10 years of leg work would only begin to show its true value later, once I was in a solid shop and I had begun to build a foundation. I was supported, people knew my art and they were ready for me to put it on their bodies.
This life is a gift, I would give everything for it and I do. Tattoos being a visual representation of self expression, reclaiming your bodily autonomy, a tradition of storytelling and an opportunity to bring the inside out.
At times seen as a powerful and personal process of healing or a means to inspire others in an act of artistic rebellion and emotional renaissance.
Whatever tattoos or tattooing means to you, we can all agree on one thing, it is undeniably transformative.
Images, inspiration and passion
I would say that much of my interest in the whimsical, dark, fantasy, fairytale, occult and medieval subject matter comes from my journey and how I have come to view the world. I often draw inspiration from nature, the rugged beauty of the west coast in which I grew up, as well as the myth and lore from my family's heritage and background.
My favourite subjects being beautiful lady faces, animals, skulls, insects, mythical creatures, medieval subjects, dragons, weapons, botanicals and what feels like story book illustrations.
This full spectrum, potent dreams for the future, what feels like a fantasy, walking between worlds, deep shadow work and this coming to light. All represented in this unending cycle of death and rebirth, the human condition.
These values, the struggle, the joys, the grief. All an embodiment of our unique stories. A testament to what it means to truly be human and to embrace the potent magic that is our existence.
Fast-forward to the present
At the tail end of 2022 I relocated up island and settled in Duncan. I started working at Luckytoad Tattoo alongside Jory Helmes, Kaija Heitland, Markus Lenhard and their apprentice Jada until mid 2024. This shop was a dream learning opportunity for me, watching much of the shop free-handing sleeves, full leg tattoos, chest pieces and even back pieces to later tattoo them on the same day. I learned much about colour theory, composition, illustration and technical application. It was with Luckytoad that I started attending my first Tattoo Conventions and worked on taking my trade abroad.
Mid 2024, after travelling abroad, tattooing and deepening my craft, there was a shift in the shop and I was invited to move to Blackwater Electric Tattoo owned by Luna Lucero and Ben Tyne.
Luna was relocating to Texas and Ben had just taken on Brandy Campbell. I joined them and we banded together to open a brand new location in Whipple Tree Junction in Duncan. We all have the shared vision of a healthy balance between a street shop energy and a cozy private studio. A space where we can build community, host events and set some deep roots through values, motivation and inspiration.
That's where we are today! Nestled in a beautiful heritage village of colorful buildings, you will find Blackwater Electric across the courtyard past the fountain. Entering the room you will be greeted with high ceilings, beautiful ornate pillars, warm woodworking and a cozy energy that makes you feel like you have just walked into a cottage in the woods.
The perfect space for an artist drawn to the whimsical!