Since 2003, I have made it my life's work to maintain and respect the fine traditions of the art of tattooing, while striving to personally contribute to the timeless craft that has given so much to me. 

my STORY

I have had an amazing, wonderful life as a tattoo artist.

I began tattooing in 2003 in Columbus, OH.... if you don't count the dumb shit that I did on friends as young metalhead/punker/skateboarder.... don't do that, it's not good.  I digress.....  I was fortunate enough to land an apprenticeship that began in an old school biker shop, Bootleg Tattoo, with Mike Neil in 2003.  I owe the life that I know to his kindness.  He gave me the keys to the world.  There have been times that I didn't realize what it meant, but looking back at my life, I see that he gave me a chance that I didn't deserve and can never repay.  Mike, if you are reading this, thank you.  I'm sorry for all the times I was a dick.... you didn't deserve it...

The shop was authentic, complete with checkered floor and walls full of Cherry Creek, J.D. Crowe, Ed Lee, and more.  I scrubbed tubes for the entire shop and autoclaved needles that were handmade at the shop.  I lined my first professional tattoo with a Mickey Sharpz Micro Dial and shaded it with a National Swing Gate.  The feel, sound, smell, and atmosphere immediately soaked into every part of my existence and I was hooked.  I didn't realize it then, but my life had changed, and it was something very special.

After a short period of around a year, I was offered an apprenticeship with Gunnar, from Gods and Monsters.  I had been getting tattooed by Gunnar and we hit it off on a personal level, so the apprenticeship was offered and eagerly accepted.  I watched Gunnar and Hoffa tattoo every day for months, trying to catch their every move.  They were unusually talented artists, and the opportunity was beyond valuable.  In addition to the tattoo skills that they possessed and shared, the shop was heavily focused on art of every medium.  Some of the biggest names in tattooing participated in group shows and I was privy to a close examination of originals by Jeff Zuck, Adam Hathorn, Eric Merril, Nick Baxter, along with fine artists like Craola, Jared Tidwell, and many more.  I tattooed a short time during that apprenticeship and the experience lasted under a year, but it set the stage for a level of tattooing that I have since tried to emulate.

In 2005, I opened up my first shop, Renaissance Tattoos.  I was way too young in the game, and way too young as a person for this endeavor, but it happened nonetheless.  Located in Lancaster, OH, I modeled my efforts after the gallery based, custom tattoo shop that I had recently left.  I offered custom tattooing and was fortunate to be booked as soon as the doors opened.  I stayed very busy in Lancaster and was able to have a tremendous amount of time in skin, which helped at that early stage in my career.  I began to travel in the convention circuit and practice my craft across the nation.  It was an exciting, whirlwind like, fun time in my life that I will forever be grateful for.  

Wanting to establish myself in the rich history of Columbus, Ohio tattooing, I decided to explore my options in the big city.  I was fortunate enough to join the crew at High Street Tattoo under Giovanni.  I joined a crew of young artists with a hunger and love for tattooing that fed each other's abilities and drive.  Joey Knuckles, Scott Santee, Cary Aldridge, Steve Cvinar, Gio, and myself were the crew of HST for a great couple of years.  I really think that lineup and opportunity is what made me a lot of who I am today.  I needed the environment that was provided to grow, and I see a huge progression in my work during that time.

In 2009, Steve, Cary, Scott, and myself separated to open Sovereign Collective.  Sovereign Collective was the manifestation of a vision that fully immersed the tattoo world into the fine art world.  Indistinguishable from the local galleries in the Short North, the shop was an open air environment with tall ceilings that presented a unique tattoo experience. Kevin Stress joined us at the inception of the shop to round out the crew.  We obsessed over our art during this time, and quickly became a leading force in the Columbus tattooing scene.  We were in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing.  Steve ended up departing to Chicago, and since the name was his creation, we decided to change the name to Short North Tattoo at the suggestion of Darius Hart.  The roster stayed the same until the departure of Kevin, when the spot was filled by Adam Fox.

In 2011, business happened and I took over full ownership of the shop. Cary and Scott left and opened Memento Tattoo to great success.  Adam stayed with Short North for a couple years until also moving over to Memento.  The next two years saw a rapid growth for Short North Tattoo, the opening of a second shop, Olde North Tattoo, and the quick close of the second shop.  Trying to accommodate for the growth in business, I erroneously thought the Olde North was soon to develop to the levels of the Short North.  I read that way wrong...  Seeing the model wasn't working, the two crews were combined and Short North Tattoo began operating 8 stations and a piercer, which was essentially double the current operation.  The roster of Olde North and Short North Tattoo is something that I take great pride in.  I had the extreme privilege of working along some of the most talented artists in the industry.  Scott Santee, Cary Aldridge, Steve Cvinar, Kevin Stress, Adam Fox, Dave Tevenal, Dennis Boseman, Chuck "Gorilla" Gillum, Adam France, Ryan Thompson, John Miller, Ben Chambers, Ben Hatfield, Josh Kendrick, Charlie Cu, Don Colling, Mike Neil, Andy Raison, Allison Reber, Ben Ervin, Scott Sims, Matt Carlisle, and Jacob Brentzel were on staff artists during the time that I was involved.  Guest artists included Eric Inksmith, Lauren Busiere, Michael Aul, Sidro, Jason Adkins, and Bunny.  The ability to spend 6 years watching and working alongside artists of that caliber is something that money can not buy and words can not explain.  That is an experience which I will forever cherish.  The lineup of the Goon Squad is my favorite incarnation of the entire run.  Ben, Alison, Scott, and I enjoyed something unique.  I am happy that was my final Short North Tattoo family.

In 2015, tired of business ownership and going through some significant changes in my personal life, I made the hard decision to let go of Short North Tattoo.  The decision to move to a new season in life was hard, but ultimately for the better.

In 2015, I joined Evolved Body Art, enjoying 3 years of employment. During that period, I met some amazing people and grew artistically, spiritually, and personally.

In December 2018, I left Evolved Tattoo and spent a short period away from tattooing to properly reassess my career and its direction. I returned to tattooing in August of 2019 alongside the established and well respected crew of Lock, Stock, and Barrel Tattoo in Gahanna, OH. Jonathan Brookshire, Jon Elliot, and Jordan Hunt made me love tattooing in a way that I had forgotten. A simple, small operation with some regular dudes that just want to make good art. It was awesome!

My time at Lock, Stock, and Barrel Tattoo Studio is everything I want my tattooing career to be.  I am blessed to be in a professional, smooth running, well established environment that I don't have to worry about. I work alongside extremely talented artists who are also awesome people.  I continue to enjoy a career of exposure to some of the most talented and inspiring coworkers I could ever hope for.   I am fee to spend my entire day focused on strictly tattooing and creating fine art.

So, where does the future lead?  At this point in my career, the eighteen year mark, I am looking at the legacy I have built so far and am still building to leave.  Tattooing is different than when I started.  If you didn't evolve rapidly over these last eighteen years, you were going to be left behind.  When I started, there was no such thing as a tattoo tv show, instagram, or rotary machine revolution.  These things have all made the industry an entirely new creature.  I did my best to give quality tattoos for eighteen years, worked hard to provide an environment for other artists to do the same, and tried to contribute to the pool of imagery along the way.  Now, I want to create a volume of work that represents my personal voice as an artist.  I want to leave a catalog of work that is distinctly my own.  Therefore, I have applied the fundamental elements of tattooing that I have used for almost two decades to a growing collection of my personal flash designs.  I would like to produce designs that resonate with people the way that old school flash did.  I want to make an existing image that someone sees and says "Hey, I want that tattooed."  Translating others' ideas into images has been an honor and rewarding.  However, this is a new season for my career and I am going to be pouring my time, energy, and resources into leaving a catalog of flash and portfolio of custom tattoos.  I would be honored if you would help me realize this last vision that I have for this wonderful career that I have enjoyed more than I will ever be able to express.  

Thank you for your time and interest.  Thank you for your business and skin!!!  Without you, I wouldn't even be close to being me.  Thank you.

Timeline