6:00 - 7:30
Look behind the scenes of the tattooing business with artists Mynt Ortega and Wesley Haack. Learn about their creatives processes, business journeys, and how they got to where they are today.
Enkhzaya (aka Mynt) Ortega is a lifelong artist whose love of art stems from watching her mother create fashion illustrations when she was a child in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. She’s known she was going to be a tattoo artist since she was very young. Currently, Mynt co-owns NoNo Tattoo Collective with three other queer tattoo artists. Her prior experience as an artist and a small business owner helps her bring a certain passion, communication skills, and (most importantly) love to her work in the studio. Her hope is to continue incorporating values of intersectionality and equity to her tattooing while continuing to preserve it as a spiritual practice - a direct exchange of energy between the artist and client. When not at the studio and not drawing, Mynt can be found helping her partner manage their small business (a handmade marketplace named Modern Mouse), trying to learn roller skating, or walking her dog.
Wesley Haack is a California born-and-raised, transgender artist. With a B.S. in Biology and a background in natural history, Wes applies a technical eye to natural aesthetics. He completed his tattoo apprenticeship in 2022 and is a full-time tattoo artist in Oakland. Wes prioritizes physical and emotional safety in his tattoo practice, intentionally creating a safe space for gender-variant, neurodivergent, disabled and other marginalized clients. In addition to tattooing, Wes is a printmaker, filmmaker and taxidermist. Most recently, he opened a solo show “Wings of Wood: the Art of Wesley Haack” at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History and donated his woodblock print, We Will Not Forget You, Tony McDade, to the permanent collection at the Pablo Center in Eau Claire, WI.
Connect:
Mynt Ortega | Website | Mynt Ortega | Instagram | Mynt Ortega | TikTok
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