RAT BARSE

RAT BARSE

CONSULTATION INFORMATION

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I have come a long way from the rough doodles in my notebooks as a kid. I spent most of my childhood bouncing all over the East Coast. Like a lot of artists of my generation, I grew up surrounded with comic books, video games and cartoons. Throughout grade school I would draw all over my friends with sharpies or any other pen I could get hold of, replicating the characters we loved. I always mused at the idea of tattooing, but wasn’t sure where to start. 

Fresh out of high school I can remember drawing a small fairy for a friend. She said she was going to get it tattooed on her. A few year later I ran into her and she got it done. The feeling of seeing my work on someone’s skin was amazing. It was humbling and an honor.

Young and stupid, I lacked ambition to hit the streets looking for an apprenticeship. Instead I moved from one job to another, totally unfulfilled for years. Until Spring 2009, when I decided to move from New York to Charleston, South Carolina to pursue the arts in any way possible. I was ready to focus and create, so I went back to school for graphic design. While in college I fell in love with hand lettering. I graduated with a portfolio focused on typography and illustration.

In 2015, I moved to Greenville, South Carolina, where I worked for a design agency. The company tapped into my artistic skills, sometimes, but not enough to scratch the creative itch. Outside of the agency, I started making wood burnings and prints to sell at regional comic conventions.

All that time my designs reflected my love for the graphic nature and styling of tattoos. It was obvious that my heart was still in the art of tattooing. After a long conversation with my wife, it was decided that I would seek a mentor. This is when I met JJ. We followed him to Salt Lake City in May of 2017, less than a year later.

So now I do something I have always wanted to do, work with people and make a difference in their life. Tattooing, to me, is an artistic and exciting way to do that. To connect and create together is such an awesome experience. If it’s something nerdy from childhood even better, but I am stoked to work with people either way!

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