1987

I was always into art through my adolescence. I spent a lot of time (and court fines) with aerosol cans. Spray painting and the imagination that came with street art is where my seeds were planted. 

When I was 21 years old, I threw every  possession I valued in the trunk of a 99 Monte Carlo and headed west with no destination concept past “California“. Here, I met a friend by the name of Dustin Badenell. Dustin encouraged me to learn to tattoo; showed me basics and encouraged me to get an apprenticeship. I can sincerely say I wouldn’t have taken my first steps into tattooing with out this chapter in my life. 

After gaining a brief apprenticeship at a not so stupendous shop in San Luis Obispo, California, a death in the family brought me back to my home state of Illinois. Here, I gained my second apprenticeship and met my mentor, Shawn Gwaltney.  My acceptance of this apprenticeship weighed heavily on Shawn’s approval. Once I started here, Shawn really took me in and took care of me. I clung to him like a little brother even though I was older. Shawn is another person I have to attribute to where I am today. He taught me to tattoo, he taught me color theory, showed me rad artists, musicians, and showed me a happier side of life. He was even the best man at my wedding. 

My second apprenticeship complete, my mentor briefly whisked away by the railroad, I filled Shawn’s seat at the shop for about a year and began to but heads a bit with the owner. From there I proceeded to another, somewhat local shop where I didn’t find myself very comfortable. From there, I reached out to Shawn and asked where he was and if there was a spot. After some deliberation on both ends, I was given a spot with him at a shop on the east side of Madison, Wisconsin. 

After several years and some path altering choices, I moved on to several other studios in Madison before finally finding my tattoo family at Dark Matter Gallery, formerly Campus Ink.