Jump To -> Spider | Wolf | Trish | Allison | Russell
Tara "Spider" Gray-Wolfstar
I can’t remember a time when I couldn’t, or didn’t, draw. I believe my tendencies
toward body art began around nine or ten years old. I was on a swim team every
Summer and made pocket change by doing Sharpie® tattoos on the other swimmers
at the meets. This evolved into full body painting masterpieces at Summer camp. In
my late teens and early twenties, I was always the one asked to do face and body
painting at parties and festivals. My early studies in the theatre led me to special
effects makeup and temporary tattoos. Even throughout my nursing career, I
remained active in the temporary body art world. It always bothered me, though,
that my masterpieces, which often took hours to complete, were just washed away in
the end. I needed something more permanent for my art.
My chance finally came when a friend who had an incredible backpiece introduced
me to his tattoo artist. I hung out at this poor guy’s shop and drove him nuts until he
decided I wasn’t going away, so he might as well put me to work. Thus began my
apprentice-ship. I did the traditional apprentice-ship: Mopping floors, hauling trash,
scrubbing tubes, making stencils (by hand....We did not have the luxury of a thermal
copier), running for lunch and coffee, handling the front counter. I spent many hours
looking over his shoulder, just watching. I tattooed fruit, other apprentices and
myself for what seemed like forever before he finally allowed me to tattoo a real live
person. That moment was one of the scariest in my life, but also one of the happiest.
( Especially when I wiped the line I had just drawn and IT DIDN’T DISAPPEAR!) I
continued to work for him for awhile and eventually went my own way and with my
partner, Wolf, opened Enchanted Ink in 1998.
For me, nothing is more satisfying than creating an original piece of art
permanently on a living canvas, and then to have my client exclaim, "That is EXACTLY
what I wanted!" So many people have told me of their tattoos, "It’s a beautiful piece,
but it’s not what I asked for." I don’t ever want to be that tattoo artist that does
only what I want on a client because "I’m the artist and I know what’s best." The
relationship I enter into with my clients is very intimate in its own way and they put
their trust in me. I don’t ever want to dishonor that.
The best part about this is that I come to work every day looking forward to it.
How many people can honestly say that they love what they do? It’s hard work owning
my own business; I’ve never worked harder! I’ve also never felt so good about what I
do.
Gwynn "Wolf" Wolfstar
Gwynn "Wolf" Wolfstar, RN, BSN, BA began piercing a few decades ago while working in the emergency
department. In moments of boredom, paramedics and EMTs would often have Wolf pierce an earlobe or two.
In the mid to late 1980s, friends began asking her about more complex piercings that they had read,
seen or heard about. To her surprise, more was being pierced than just earlobes. She did a bit of
research and studied the art by Fakir. Little did she know that it was only the beginning to a career
in body art for her.
Wolf left traditional nursing in 1997 to be a co-owner of Enchanted Ink, LLC. She has since performed
thousands of piercings and has become quite the master. As the piercer, she has literally pierced people
from all over the globe. She has taken the seriousness of piercing a bit further than most. She and her
partner, Spider, have held workshops for doctors and nurses on the proper care of piercings and how to
properly remove jewelry. She has led discussion groups with Colorado University, Boulder, students and
multiple half-way house clients about safety concerns when getting a tattoo or piercing. She and her
partner were very instrumental in the development and passage of State legislation and Boulder County
regulations pertaining to body art.
Wolf has written articles for medical publications and in turn, many articles about her and Enchanted
Ink have appeared in local news, State publications and National medical professional journals and
magazines. As of late, she and the Enchanted Ink crew can be found in Treasures of Boulder and will
also be featured in American Journal of Nursing.
Wolf and the Enchanted Ink crew continue to strive for nothing short of excellence in the field of Body
Art. Enchanted Ink has been runner up Best of Boulder multiple times and selected as WestWord’s Best of
Denver in 2005. Wolf takes that genuine care behind the scenes as well. Enchanted Ink has donated
thousands of dollars in silent auction gift certificates for: Boulder Shelter for the Homeless; Open
Door Fund (multiple GBLT sponsored events); Boulder County Cares (for the homeless); Boulder County
Health Department sponsored events (O.A.S.O.S.); Radio Reading Service of the Rockies; Eldora Mountain
Snowboard Club; Ski & Snowboard Club at CU; Attention Homes for at Risk Youth; The Community Foundation;
Boulder County Aids Project; College of Wicca; Berthoud High School; Nederland High School; Boulder
High School and Fairview High School. Wolf et al have also participated in research with the C.U. Speech
department and have also donated to tsunami victims in 2003 and Hurricane Katrina victims 2005.
Apprentice Trish Nakamura
I'm a graduate of The Metropolitan College of Denver with a degree in fine art with a concentration
in drawing. My current status is a tattoo apprentice with hopes of becoming a full fledge tattoo artists.
My design specialties include custom, tribal, bio-mechanical, and anime/cartoons. I have been fascinated
with body modification from a very young age. While in college I made custom designs for friends and
finally made the decision to become a tattoo artist. My goal is to produce work that both my future
clients and I can be proud of.
To see some of my artwork, visit my
MySpace page.
Henna Artist/Studio Assistant Allison Ramsey-Wolfstar
Hello world! :)
I’m Allison, and I am the studio assistant (a.k.a. evil minion that does the grunt work for
my higher masters) here at Enchanted Ink. I’ve been working at this marvelous studio for the
past two years, and since I’ve been on such good behavior they have also graced me with the
great honor of being the henna artist.
Henna art has been a fun hobby of mine for many years,
I mean who wouldn’t like to just doodle all over someone's body? They did give you their consent... :-)
Henna is not permanent and only lasts for about two weeks. It is also a great way
for people to experience what a tattoo would look like in a certain area before they commit to
the real thing. If you would like to find out more you will just have to come visit us. Hope to see
you soon!
Russell
Born in Nebraska, I made my way to Nederland to become a mountain dog when I was just a tiny puppy.
After moving to the mountains, I took up the dangerous job of coyote barking. That’s when coyotes comes
in your yard and you bark to scare them off. After getting bit twice by coyotes, I was given an honorary
title of Sargeant White Fang which included a camouflage jacket and a coyote tooth to hang on my collar.
Now, I have a job in the customer service department. Do you have any Tamago?
