Born in Detroit, Jason’s introduction to tattooing started through airbrushing. ‘Out of high school, I worked as an airbrush artist in a couple of shops in Mt. Clemons and Taylor. At that time, airbrushing and tattooing were kind of blending into one another and because of that, I met a couple of tattooists who introduced me to other artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, and bohemians. I started to spend more and more time at tattoo shops and eventually, my focus turned to tattooing. I hung around the shop helping out and the guys would give me pointers and show me the right way to do stuff. But after about a year or so, a buddy from high school called me from California and invited me out for a visit.
That visit turned into me going back to Michigan, packing my stuff, and heading west. It was bumpy at first and it wasn’t until after a lot of ups and downs and one extended homesick trip back to Michigan that I started to find my stride. I landed a spot at Avalon Tattoo in San Diego and was stoked to get a chair there! I was hired at the Pacific Beach location and spent the next 16 years working in that community; attending tattoo conventions, taking art and photography classes, and traveling the world. But all good things come to an end and a few years back, Avalon lost its lease. It was a heartbreaker for me so I decided to do some extended travel in hopes to regroup.
I found myself back in Michigan, visiting some family and an old friend told me about Splash of Color, and the owner Kris was kind enough to let me sit in between trips. After a while, I was offered a full-time spot and now I couldn’t be happier. Splash has a great owner and a crew of very talented artists. Since I’ve been back in Michigan, I’ve really been pushed artistically and it feels great to have the opportunity to continue to grow and fine-tune my craft.’ When asked about his tattooing Jason adds, ‘At the end of the day, I’m a people’s tattooist. I love working with people to make a design unique for them. I want to know the person getting the tattoo so I can incorporate bits of their life into the design.
Please, come in, sit with me and let’s talk about travel, your ambitions, and what makes your heart pump. This is where the soul of a tattoo comes from and that is how I want to design it for you.’