The Autobiography of
Shannon “Tattoo” Toohey

 

Before even her first memory, Shannon Toohey was destined to be intertwined with the tattoo industry for the rest of her life. As the grand-daughter to the National Tattoo Association’s founding members, Flo and Don Makofske, as well as family ties to renowned artists such as Bill Funk and Philadelphia Eddie, it could easily be said that Shannon’s life began on the tattoo studio floor. Before she could even read or write Shannon was attending National Tattoo Conventions and tracing drawings that her “Aunts & Uncles” such as, Apache Jill, Jack Rudy and Brian Everett were giving her to practice with.

By the time that Shannon was ten years old her “doodles” had become so good that her mom decided to get one of them tattooed on her at that year’s upcoming National’s Convention in San Antonio, Texas by family friend and legendary portrait artist, Brian Everett. However, after asking Brian to do the tattoo and getting a response of, “Shannon should just do it”, her fate was sealed. So beginning in 2000 at the ripe old age of ten years old with the help of industry legends such as, Uncle Bud Yates, Anna Paige, Rich Ives and Frank Romano, Shannon began tattooing someone each year at Nationals from then on out.

After finishing high school and taking a couple of years to study art in college, Shannon was ready to take the final plunge and fulfill her destiny, so in 2009 she moved from New York to Colorado to start her formal tattoo training beginning with the mentorship of internationally acclaimed and three time recipient of, “Tattoo Artist of the Year” National Award, Rich Ives at Steel City Tattoo in Pueblo. In a very short time frame Shannon’s natural talents/background and Rich’s guidance had excelled her artwork to levels that would have taken most people a lifetime to master, but not hard to believe after hearing Rich say that, “she has more natural talent than anyone I’ve ever met, myself included”.

So by the beginning of 2010 Shannon was ready to enter the second phase of her apprenticeship with the Pikes Peak Tattoo family and moved to Colorado Springs to begin her next level of studies including machine building and maintenance with Gary Wells, the art of fine line tattooing with Sean Walrad, custom and convention tattooing with Mr. Scary, and industry survivability with Kent Sanders, plus all the wisdom that her Aunt Brinda has to offer. As Shannon’s knowledge grows and her abilities begin to become honed her true potential is beginning to emerge and the results are amazing, so stop on in and get tattooed by a legacy that is sure to become legendary.

 

email me at: shannon@pikespeaktattoo.com