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In 1998 she moved to Richmond, Va where she began working for the tattoo studio Alive Gallery for Timothy Hoyer and Chris O’Donnell. She started pursuing a tattoo apprenticeship thru Timothy Hoyer in 1999 and began tattooing in 2000.

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Amy took over full ownership of the studio, now known as “Amy Black Tattoo”, in 2005 and currently retains full ownership.

 

Amy enjoys an eclectic array of styles and continually shifts from one theme to another from client to client. The variety keeps her consistently challenged and engaged as each client requires shifting into a new headspace and complete devotion to the piece’s inception, energy and theme from start to finish which requires focus and controlled creative output. She throws herself into her work to make sure she gets the best results that will stay with her clients until the end of time.

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Amy engages in everything from nature/botanicals to scientific themes, realism, jjapanese, chinese, tibetan and hindu as well as honoring many classical masters like Bernini, Klimt, Da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Dali, Picasso, Vermeer and more.

In 2011, Amy began working in another field of tattooing known as “nipple and areola repigmentation” or “mastectomy tattooing” as a part of breast reconstruction for patients post mastectomy due to breast cancer or BRCA diagnosis.

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Mastectomies are performed on both men and women, and typically require removing the natural nipple and areola to either prevent or remove existing cancer tissue(s) from expanding. The patient can sometimes elect to have nipple(s) surgically rebuilt from donor skin taken from their body, however the natural coloration is still missing. Amy is able to recreate the missing coloring, and create the illusion of realistic nipples and areola textures with tattooing.

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She works with patients who come to her private tattoo studio, and receives many referrals from plastic surgeons throughout the US and beyond to help patients receive their desired reconstructive results for their breast(s).

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Amy founded The Pink Ink Fund in 2011 almost immediately after beginning mastectomy tattooing in response to seeing friends who were concerned about their own mastectomy tattooing costs. The need and dream to expand the private donation fund’s reach and services to a non profit quickly made sense and blossomed from there as she learned about many of the financial hurdles patients could be facing in attaining their desired mastectomy tattooing.

 

Pink Ink Fund is also very focused on helping military and first responder patients and their spouses. Pink Ink Fund also looks forward to helping increase awareness for realistic nipple/areola tattooing, to help find ways to educate and train technicians, outreach to the medical community, and more.

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Amy attracts tattoo collectors worldwide. Her nipple tattoo clients also travel worldwide to see her.

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Her private by appointment tattoo studio is in a renovated historical 2 story structure on the 2nd floor in the eclectic shopping district called Carytown in Richmond, Va where she typically tattoos 5 days a week.

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Proud recipient of Style Weekly’s “Best Tattoo Artist” Reader’s Poll 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 One of Richmond Magazine’s Best Tattoo Parlors 2011, RVA Mag’s “Best Local Tattoo Artist” in their 2012 Reader’s Poll, and 2013 Honoree of Women in The Arts Award, Amy looks forward to continually bring her best services to clients.

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