Tattoos have skyrocketed in popularity over the past decade. In 2010 about 40 percent of millennials had at least one tattoo and that number has increased. Young, high fashion runway models are often adorned with body art. With a clientele across the region ranging in age and background, the series features the intimate stories of people and their tattoos.
Produced with the support of:
Garnan Productions
Andrew Younger
In the season 2 premiere Maritime Ink introduces you to one of Canada’s top realism artists. If you want a photo realistic portrait, Chan is one of the best to go to. He now runs his own shop, Divergence Tattoos in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Becky Matheson loves to travel, but with kids and a husband in the military that’s not as easy as it once was. Her travels inspire her tattoo work and she often has clients coming to visit her where they can swap stories about adventure.
Jason Mahar grew up doodling in the back of bibles at church on Sundays in rural Nova Scotia. He took that passion and went from a career in graphic design to a career as a tattoo artist. From his shop in New Minas he has trained many tattoo artists in the valley and across Canada.
Gabe Squalor never quite felt at home in many of the shops she worked in. There was always tension with the needs of her LGBTQi clients and the way the shops ran. She wanted a place that was open to everyone, but first a shop catering to a queer audience. And so, Outlaw Country Tattoo was born.
Chanelle came to Nova Scotia when her mother was posted to CFB Greenwood, as she worked at Tattoo Festivals she was encouraged to become a tattoo artist herself. And so just apprenticed and joined Etched Addictions in Cambridge, Nova Scotia. A new artist, she’s finding her way with the help and support of her friends.
Amber Thorpe came to Nova Scotia on vacation and never left, opening a tattoo shop in Halifax weeks after arriving. Now she owns two shops and is one of the leading artists in the industry. She’s behind the Maritime Tattoo Festival, and has a strong following.
Coming to Sydney from Newfoundland, Luke only recently opened a new shop with his partner. Luke specializes in sticker tattoos, tattoos that look like real stickers applied to the skin. People come from all over to Sydney just to get work done by him.
Larry wanted a change. Ontario was becoming a rat race and he just wanted a better lifestyle. So he packed up his family and moved to Amherst where he’s been welcomed into the community with his new shop the Art of Rebellion.
Greenwood is best known for the largest Air Force base in Atlantic Canada. And where there’s an air force base there is demand for tattoos. Out of a steam punk inspired tattoo shop Loretta does detailed tattoo work and exceptional paintings.
Out of the new 9th Gate Tattoo shop in Sydney, co-owner Jennifer Hupalo works hard to impress her clients with her style and her deep passion for tattooing.
Billie grew up in China where tattoos were shunned. But he had a passion for art. When he came to Canada a few years ago he dove into tattoo art, merging the styles he had learned in his art education.
Out of a small studio behind her home in Oxford Nova Scotia Nicole has become a popular artist for people across Northern Nova Scotia. Nicole tells the story of building a client base far from larger towns and cities of Nova Scotia.
One of the best known artists in Amherst, Scott Pushing started his career doing political cartoons and etching monuments. With a push from a friend he tried his hand at tattooing and has never looked back.