I was born on February 18, 1979 and within a few years was lucky enough to start informal art lessons with my Mother. My Mom introduced me to the basics of figure drawing and watercolors. Once I hit Primary school I started to draw Sports Illustrated swimsuit models and comics.. On my own, I spent countless hours watching Aliens 2 and of course, Star Wars at least once a day. High school came and went. I spent most of my time Skateboarding, Snowboarding and attending Art class/Photography class. After High School I made the big move from Ontario to Whistler, B.C. The year was 1998 and it was the biggest snow year of my life so far.
For the next 4 years I spent my time Snowboarding in Whistler and surfing in Hawaii. In my spare time I experimented with Acrylic paint and charcoal. Slowly the story of my tattoo career started to fall into place, piece by piece. I believe one of the first pieces of the puzzle involved living with an unforgettable fellow named Bruce Irving. Bruce was covered in tattoos done by two fellows, Aaron Cain and Steve Moore. I was amazed by the artwork that Bruce had on his body. Soon my desire to get tattooed started to build. It was time to get my first tattoo, which came from none other than Steve Moore. Steve truly blew my mind. His positive attitude combined with his incredible creative and technical abilities opened my mind to the possibilities of tattoo. With the influence of Steve Moore and a heavily tattoo person as a roommate, I slowly started designing tattoos for friends. Soon the day came that I decided to tag along to actually watch my artwork get tattooed on none other than my roommate Bruce. The tattooists name was Robin Dutcher. Soon after meeting Robin, I was offered an apprenticeship under her wing. She told me that I had to “sell my soul to tattooing”. At this point in time I was mentally preparing to start graphic design school. Quickly I realized that a huge, heavy, life changing opportunity had just presented itself. I decided to head back to Hawaii for 8 months to figure out which path to follow.
After an incredible time in Hawaii it was clear that I was ready to sell my soul to tattooing, and so my tattoo apprenticeship began in 2003. After one year of learning under the guidance of Robin Dutcher, I began my tattoo career in 2004. I am very grateful to Robin for introducing me to such an incredible trade that has become one of my greatest passions. Without her I would not be the person that I am today. At Black Ohm Tattoos I had a great amount of support from the people of Whistler. I worked with Robin and Dave Petko at Black Ohm until October 2007 when it was time for me to move onward. On January 1st, 2008. I opened a private tattoo shop named Ormiston Inkworks Ltd. To this date I continue to work out of my private tattoo studio and art gallery.
To my family, friends and clients, thank you for your support along the way. Your trust and interest in my work means the world to me.
Thanks for reading.