As a gay, Black trans man, his practice recognizes the landscape of whitewashing, homophobia, sexism, and classism that has shaped contemporary American tattooing. He seeks to subvert these problematic norms by creating spaces of comfort and calm where all people can decorate their bodies in safety. He seeks to inflict minimal skin damage, and imbue his tattoos with good thoughts and good will. Aesthetically, his work draws inspiration from art historical artifacts from around the world, and his own cultural backgrounds (Jamaican, West African, German, Scottish) including textiles, jewelry, and sculpture, and antiquated decorative arts samples. He works in a quiet, sunny & private studio.

Hand poking is an ancient means of placing ink inside the skin using a needle and the force of the human hand. When the needle dips into, and then exits the skin, the resulting suction draws the ink into your skin, making one dot at a time. Historically, anything from bones to cactus spines have been used as needles; I use single use sterilized tattoo needles and top quality ink.

In addition to connecting us to our ancient human ancestors, hand poking is the gentlest means of tattooing, and can be a great way to get tattoos in more sensitive spots. I personally fell asleep during my first hand poke, (a swan, from Jessa Cabral aka @twoconestattoo) and have since been inspired to follow suit in creating the most relaxing tattoo environment possible.

It’s your body and we’re going to act accordingly! As your tattoo artist, it’s my job to make sure you feel comfortable, cared for, and safe during what can be a vulnerable experience.

This means,

• we can place the stencil as many times as you want.

• you can take as long as you want to peruse flash.

• we can take as many breaks as you want.

• if you end up not wanting a tattoo, we can always stop.

• it’s okay to be in pain! I routinely use Bactine as a numbing agent, and we can always take extra numbing breaks.

• you never have to apologize for your body or mind, all of you is welcome at our appointment and this is a shame free environment.