Amie Easton, owner of JuggerBean Tattoo Parlour, has had several jobs outside her passion of tattoo art. Having lived in Vancouver, Terrace and Kamloops among other places, the tattoo artist and painter previously worked as a radio host and in employment counseling, all the while making art. “ I loved talking to people and going to their events,” she told SPIN of her time as a radio host. “I dreamt of working for Pixar but the 3-D animation program was full of kids I didn’t relate to. So, I kept doing art and sold some in local galleries, and my friends and I would host parties and sell our art. It was fun and it paid the rent.”
Not one to waste art supplies, Easton reuses canvas she is done with.
“Sometimes I abandon paintings for a long time and don’t want to finish them. Instead of doing a traditional underpainting I use the abandoned piece as the underpainting. I have a goal to use oil paints and have been considering using my old acrylic paintings as the underpaintings for future oil paintings.”
While living in Kamloops, Easton sold her art through The Art We Are (A small eatery downtown Kamloops that supports local artists, farmers, and community organizations). It was in Kamloops that she started her tattoo apprenticeship.
“I think it is important to be a well-rounded tattooist,” she said. “People will like a variety of subjects and styles.”
Easton herself loves satire, Disney and realism. She also likes line work, and the Neo-traditional style is “most natural” to her. Her days consist of drawing, opening her shop, more drawing and tattooing.
Tattooing is one of the most inspirational and connecting activities in Easton’s life, and offers her the space to learn about others while practicing her creativity.
“Tattooing is art. It is symbolic and fearless. Tattooing is therapy,” she said. “It is the close proximity to another. It is the release of endorphins. It is the sharing of people’s stories. It is a listening ear. It is a special, sacred bond of confidentiality and professionalism in a chill, safe space.”
To see more of Easton’s work, visit her website.
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