The artists behind the ink

Bellingham tattoo artists spend their days bringing others’ stories to life — here’s what their own tattoos say about them

Story by Quincy Koch

Photos by Courtney Sipila

Published April 7, 2026

Whether it be piercings, hairstyles, makeup or fashion, self-expression comes in a variety of forms in Bellingham. Nowhere is that more apparent than downtown, where tattoo parlors sit on nearly every block.

While tattoo artists work to translate other people’s stories into meaningful designs, their own tattoos tell a different story about who they are. Nine artists from Bellingham’s tattoo community highlighted the stories behind their own ink.

Max Lowe

Max Lowe has been tattooing since 2011 and works at The Hiding Spot. Without having neck and hand tattoos, he may appear modest compared to other artists, but rolling up his shirt reveals sleeve tattoos on his arms.

“Like most artists, I have a huge mix of really excellent tattooing and some punk rock tats from back in the day,” he said.

For him, public perception didn’t play a big role in what he’s gotten tattooed. Rather, many of his tattoos are associated with the emotions he felt at the time. “I didn't get all these tattoos because I really gave a shit about who was interpreting them or how they were being interpreted,” Lowe said.

He hopes that when people look at his tattoos they’ll appreciate the level of artistic skill that went into each design. One of his favorite tattoos is a black and gray eye on his leg, which he got done in Japan by an artist he admired. However, this won’t be the case for long.

“My favorite tattoo is always my next tattoo,” he said.

Liam Dickinson

Liam Dickinson, also from The Hiding Spot, has been a tattooer for about five years. Dickinson was inspired to become an artist after working counter jobs at various tattoo shops, where he observed talented tattooers. His background is in American traditional tattoos, which he said forces him to practice fundamentals through simplified designs.

His tattoos span styles, some more skillfully done than others. “Almost all of them were done by people that are friends of mine or people I've been close to at one point in my life, so they're all very meaningful to me and have nostalgic value,” Dickinson said.

Of all his tattoos, Dickinson chose to feature his back tattoo. “It's the biggest, most epic opportunity for any tattoo,” he said. It's super sick, and I'm proud to wear it.”

Adrian Martinez

Adrian Martinez, who works at The Hiding Spot, has been a tattoo artist for about eight years.

Most of Martinez’s tattoos, which stretch across his body, are black and gray American traditional. With a wide variety of tattoos, some of his favorites are those on his hands and torso.

Since he started tattooing, Martinez has seen a positive shift toward greater acceptance of tattoos.

“I feel like the perception around tattooing has changed a lot, even since I've been in the industry,” Martinez said. “Honestly, for a long time now, tattoos have been more mainstream, and some of that is just thanks to celebrity and TV culture.”

He challenges the stigmas that still linger about what having tattoos means.

“A lot of our clientele are working professionals. Tattoos aren’t reserved for criminals and outlaws anymore — now it's more of a conversation piece,” Martinez said. “People want to ask about your tattoos, whereas in the past, they may have avoided you in public because of them.”

Ariel Kuromoto

Ariel Kuromoto started as an apprentice under Max Lowe at The Hiding Spot in September 2023 and has been tattooing there ever since. As a woman working in a male-dominated industry, Kuromoto shared how meaningful it is when women clients come to her and express appreciation for her style and the comfort they feel when working with her.

“That's really nice to hear, knowing not only that I can make someone feel more confident in their own skin or just happy by giving them a nice tattoo, but they also feel comfortable throughout the whole process,” she said.

Kuromoto was enamored with tattoos from a young age. Growing up in Honolulu, she was used to seeing traditional tribal tattoos. When she saw her mother’s rose tattoo, it rewired how she thought about tattoos, and she started considering how intentional and creative they could be. After her mother died, she chose to get a similarly designed rose tattooed on her chest with some of her mother’s ashes mixed into the black ink. “I wanted to specifically get it placed right here, so she was close to my heart,” she said.

Devin Paquette

Devin Paquette, who works at State St. Tattoos, said he always wanted to be a tattooer. Paquette said that he likes taking his own twist on American traditional, with a big personality. Paquette said that in the past, tattooers would get design ideas from old advertisements, and he takes inspiration from old newspaper comics.

Since getting his first tattoo, Paquette has noticed that people would point out and compliment individual designs. Now having a much fuller collection across his body, he’s noticed people no longer point to one specific tattoo, but rather compliment the art as a whole. “You go from having tattoos to being tattooed,” Paquette said.

Sophia Giolitti

Sophia Giolitti is a tattooer at Red Sparrow Tattoo Collective. Giolitti described her style as black and gray illustrative realism and said her biggest inspiration comes from Renaissance and mid-1800s art, as well as current artists around the world.

Giolitti believes that her tattoos are an outward reflection of what she’s interested in: nature, folklore, mythology and gothic styles.

“I feel like I did a pretty good job of getting tattoos that show my interests and aesthetics,” she said. “I think when people look at them, they think ‘oh, that person probably likes nature, and things of whimsy.’”

Mark Keller

Mark Keller has been artistic since he was a child, and has been tattooing in Bellingham for 22 years. He has been at Sanctuary Body Art, formerly known as Chameleon Ink, for 18 years, where he recently took over the business.

With a range of different pieces, Keller shared ​​that many of his tattoos are from artists that he has trained. “I have a tattoo from each of my apprentices,” he said. He couldn’t pick a favorite either. “They all have meaning,” Keller said. “I love all of them, and I don't really regret any of them.”

Jada Martin

Jada Martin started tattooing out of her house in Missouri before moving to Bellingham and finding her way to work at Sanctuary Body Art. When people see her tattoos, Martin hopes they interpret them with the antique look she intended. Martin chose to feature the first tattoo she did on herself, which is one of her favorites.

Andreas Erickson

Andreas Erickson is a tattooer at Kalamalka Ink. He apprenticed in 2001 at Mutiny Tattoo Bellingham and traveled the world tattooing before landing back in Bellingham.

Erickson chose to share a tattoo he got across his face in his 20s. “Being a punk in a really Christian and conservative community, I would get judged for who I was,” Erickson said. “So, I wanted to get a face tattoo because it was my line drawn in the sand to be like, ‘if people can't see past this, then I don't need to deal with people.’ I got my face tattooed because I thought it would protect me from people.”

After getting the tattoo, he realized others didn’t interpret it how he’d intended. “It wasn't that I wanted to be hard; it’s the line that people would have to cross to get to know me.” Rather, Erickson said that some people took offense to the design. Over the years, he’s watched as people reacted to his face tattoo in different ways. Although the first impressions can come with negative assumptions, Erickson enjoys getting to disprove people’s initial interpretations by showing his true personality. “They think I'm one way or the other,” he said. “But I get to prove them wrong and give them a different experience, and that's always fun.”