About Me
Technique
I am a hand poked tattoo artist which means I don’t use a tattoo machine, I simply use a needle dipped into ink to place each individual fine dot, building up lines, shading and contrast, like pointillism. It is a very gentle way to be tattooed; although a slower process than using the machine I believe it’s worth it for the lovely texture it creates, which lends itself perfectly to creating the detailed surfaces on plants, animals, birds, fossils or for example, the aged look of an ancient coin. I often get asked if I’d ever learn to use the machine, which would make sense if I wanted to ‘speed up’ or take on larger pieces, but I really love the pace of hand poked tattooing. There is no buzzing from the machine which can sometimes feel intimidating, and it is closer to the ancient form of tattooing itself, where our ancestors would dip shells, bones, thorns or bamboo into pigments made from nature to gradually build up simple mark making on skin. My fine line, hand poked tattoos settle into skin in a way that feels a lot subtler, they have a unique look like a pencil illustration or a print found in an old, antiquarian book. The quiet and slower nature to this process for me feels more ritualistic; like slowly chipping away at a standing stone to create a carving of a triskele or dusting off a piece of archeology, these things take time and procision and the process can feel as special as the final outcome.
I specialise in small, 2-7cms pieces, that zoom in on a single subject which could be a plant, animal or trinket for example. I try to capture the subject as realistically as possible but they will often have an illustrative look. As much as I will always love to tattoo pretty flowers and pieces from nature I have tried to move into more niche areas with the designs I tattoo, like tattooing items or trinkets of sentimental value, something symbolic of the pagan path which I share with some of my audience, or an item from your local museum which has historic interest to the customer. Medieval manuscripts and tapestries, ancient coins, an old sythe or goblet can feel so nostaligic and intriguing as part of a tattoo collection. I try to treat every object or piece of history with a lot of care to transform it into something that will look beautiful as a tattoo but capture the texture and weight of the item itself.
My Story
I grew up in a very rural part of the North West Coast of the Highlands of Scotland. The nearest cinema, shopping centre or supermarket was 80 miles away. The benefit to such a rural community was the lack of crime and almost total trust from my parents to do whatever I wanted. I spent all day outside exploring the coast line, cliffs, rock pools, bogs, burns, jumping in the sea, watching the crashing, 20ft waves with my dogs and only ever being called indoors for meals. There was endless freedom and drama to be found in the landscape and so much room to express emotions and exercise imagination. The land could be lonely but it’s where I felt the most nurtured and safe, it looked after me.
Growing up on land that remained untouched and wild, full of history, heritage and hills has meant as an adult I find myself needing to live in a way that feels elemental and close to nature. I’ve lived on house boats in London for 10 years now, this offers me the escapism from the city and the balance of wildness which feels reminiscent of my childhood. I feel incredibly sentimental about my heritage and this has led me to explore all forms of nature in tattoos, as well as celtic art and historic objects which feel fascinating as someone who didn’t grow up around museums or galleries but has always loved art and crafting.
I love making things, mending clothing, making candles, painting or practicing the tin whistle or bodrhun. I trained working and companion dogs for many years before I became a tattoo artist and I love animals, I’ve raised baby rats and birds along side looking after our three senior dogs onboard, hence why I love to tattoo pet portraits and beasties/creatures of all forms.
I understand the depth of meaning tattoos hold for people, how they represent the land, the home, the people we surround ourselves with. I’ve experienced great loss in my life and I believe this has taught me how to hold space for those collecting tattoos to honour loved ones, I relate to the need for putting our grief somewhere when the huge love and loss has no where to go. It is a huge pleasure to have given so many people their first tattoos since I started tattooing 7 years ago. As a pagan, I myself follow a spiritual path and I understand the power behind intent of a tattoo and how marking ourselves with an image is an act of magick that can transform the way we feel about ourselves and our bodies.
Interests & Inspiration
If you look through my available designs you will quickly get an idea of what inspires me. I mix my flash designs with things I know my audience will love like flowers and Fairies by Mary Cecily-Barker, and more alternative designs which I’d be really interested to tattoo like the delicate jewellery-like interpretations of Celtic knot work or tarot inspired deities and old objects. I celebrate the pagan harvest festivals and Sabbats from the Wheel of the Year and these often give me inspiration with my designs. I love to research through old books to find different symbols of these specific moments in nature, what plants, objects, goddesses and associated animals or birds come to mind or can be discovered to connect with these ancient festivals and help us to stay tuned into the cycles in nature.
I think picking out details from paintings can inspire wonderful tattoos. I tattooed the Mystic Lamb from the Ghent Altarpiece which I visited in person. I love the challenge of recreating such an iconic painting in the form of a tattoo to live on the body. I felt similarly when I was approached to capture the intricate Alfred Jewel from the Ashmoleon Museum to scale or an excerpt from a Julian of Norwich’s hand written medieval manuscript. These tattoos feel so interesting and powerful and there is endless possibilities to be found in art history.
My other love is the stone age. I grew up a tiny, adventurous child constantly playing on her own, outside in this vast, endless natural landscape without a man made object insight. I think because of this I am facinated by the idea of being a hunter gatherer; living off the land and working with stones for tools, interacting intimately with nature. Thousands of years which hold the moments we first adorned ourselves, making jewellery out of shells, teeth and rocks, making pilgrimages carrying stones to stand up in circles that align with the sun’s path, making marks with ochre animals inside cave walls. I could day dream for hours trying to get inside the mind of these early relatives of ours who were so connected to the cycles of nature and all of life in a way I think it is quite impossible to wrap our heads around in this age of technology with constant distractions and content.
