About Riley
From a young age I was obsessed with cartoons and books like Tom and Jerry, Dragon Ball Z, Cowboy Bebop, and Calvin and Hobbes. I loved trying to draw the characters, often inventing new ones inspired by those in my favorite shows and games. While I continued to practice all throughout my teenage years, drawing was just something I liked to do, but wasn’t something that really excited me.
It wasn’t until my junior year of high school that I started taking art classes where I met an amazing teacher and mentor, Kristina Shriver, who shined a light on the joy of making art and helped cultivate my love for the craft. Around this same time I became obsessed with hiking and backpacking in my Southern Appalachian home of Asheville, North Carolina.
I didn’t come from a particularly “outdoorsy” family, so backpacking was something I really had to seek out on my own and it was the only other healthy outlet for exploration and freedom that I had besides skateboarding and drawing - so needles to say, I spent a lot of time doing it.
Although I didn’t fully realize it at the time, my experiences with hiking, backpacking, and later climbing, were privileges that allowed me to explore my curiosity about the world, connect with other people in meaningful ways, and marvel at the beautiful and articulate designs of nature. To this day it’s still an essential part of my life.
Ultimately, my relationship with nature has shaped many of dimensions of who I am and it’s most certainly a primary source of inspiration for my work. Opportunities to play in and explore wild places are central to my creative process, as they allow me the space to step away from the chaos of “normal” life, observe the artistry of nature and connect to something larger than myself - all the while enhancing my capacity for creativity.
I believe that creativity is a uniquely human trait that allows us to represent, understand, and experience the world around us, especially through art. While painting and illustration have long been my favorite mediums, Tattooing is a particularly special art form, with a rich history rooted in different cultures all over the world. It combines all of my favorite aspects of making art, with the interpersonal elements of the client-artist relationship, allowing me the opportunity to connect with folks from all over the world, create more meaningful artwork through collaboration with my clients, and ultimately contribute to something greater than myself.
I am but one artist in a long line of creative minds before me, which I why I’m deeply humbled to be practicing this craft. It’s exciting to be tattooing in a time where new tools and techniques allow artists to push the limits of their skill and expand whats possible in the medium.
I’m immensely grateful to every person who has supported my journey as an artist and for those who continue to trust me with their tattoos.
It wouldn’t be possible without you and for that, I am thankful.
Sincerely,
Riley