I'm one of a handful of women who began tattooing in the 1970s, long before tattooing was as popular as it is today. It was a struggle then to acquire information and even equipment, especially if you were a woman. There were no tattoo magazines, yellow pages listings, suppliers or any worthwhile reference materials. It was ideal if you were a guy, got tattooed locally and hung around the tattoo parlor regularly to acquire any information. The way tattooing used to be exists today only in the memories of those tattooers still among us. It was a cut-throat business wrought with danger, liquor, drugs and loose women. All that's changed now.
I learned respect for the craft from noted "old-timers" who paved my way. I pass down the same respect of the traditions of tattooing to my staff. It was due to the hard work of those who came before which transformed tattooing into the artform it is today. Without them, tattooing would not have survived nor flourished. (If you are a tattoo artist and don't know your tattoo history then shame on you.) This profession is an honorable one if treated as such.
My background in graphic arts was helpful in achieving good, clean work. My experience as a painter enables me to be free and creative in my approach to the handling of color. My attitude was and still remains to provide custom, one-of-a-kind tattoos at the client's request without inserting my ego in the process. My concerns for placement and composition continue to support my longevity in this business. After 33 years, I still tattoo regularly and still attend conventions. I continue to book by appointment as I have done since I began in 1976. In addition to decorative tattooing, I do eyebrows, eyeliner and nipple reconstruction. I am expert at repair and rework. No job is impossible to fix!
Please look through these pages at the wonderful work being done at Pat's Tats. Then come and visit us, get tattooed and have an equally wonderful experience, too.
