My real name is Patricia Loy-Colebank, but most people know me as Patty—Mistress of Pain. I can’t imagine why, though! I started tattooing in 1990 at the Fairmont Thinkin Ink studio of tattoo. Youngen was kind enough to let me hang and draw patterns for people before he decided to allow me to do an apprenticeship with him. It was great tattooing right next to him—it’s amazing how much you can absorb just watching and asking questions. Youngen taught me just all I know about tattooing. I may have learned a trick or two on my own, but the foundation was definitely established in Fairmont.

          I grew up in Sherrard, West Virginia. For those of you that have no idea where that is, it’s near Wheeling. I came to Morgantown to study at Art at the University. I started tattooing at the beginning of 1990 and got my degree in sculpture in December of the same year.

          Since I can remember, I have been making art. It’s all I ever wanted to do. How cool that I get to make money doing what I love!!

          I even met my wonderful husband at the tattoo shop. We’ve been married almost 10 years now, and have 2 beautiful daughters. They are my muses—for drawing and painting, and even an occasional tattoo. They keep me on my toes, and help me stay young. They also remind me that the world is a pretty cool place.

 I believe every person is an exception, and I think it’s great to be immersed in an industry where we can help people realize that about themselves. I strive to make every tattoo I ever do, the BEST tattoo I’ve ever done. I enjoy designing the right tattoo for each customer. Sometimes it takes some doing—with all the questions and drawing and redrawing, but when they say, “YES! That’s perfect!” it makes all the work worth it.

          I will be making art (in many odd and various forms) until I’m too old to be able to anymore. With luck, that will be another 50 or 60 years. In the mean time, I’ll just keep pumping out the work as well and as quickly as I can. To see some of the artwork I make other than tattoos, check out my personal website www.PattysArtspot.com.

          I love to make art of any kind, but the most profitable so far, has been tattooing. Since I haven’t won the lottery, and didn’t marry for money, I suppose I’ll keep tattooing and just do the other stuff for fun when I can squeeze it in.

          I have a wonderful husband, who also tattoos, and 2 beautiful little girls, who keep me hopping at all times!! They are the inspiration for a lot of my artwork, and they are the reason that I get up and go to work on those days when I’d much rather stay in bed. Truthfully, being a Mom is the toughest job I’ve ever done. I guess I won’t know if I’m any good at it until the kids grow up and become nice law-abiding citizens and decent human beings. In the mean time, we have fun, learn lots of things, make lots of mistakes, and enjoy life. I hope that works.
Lately, I’ve been painting portraits and making egg sculptures. Yes, eggs! Chicken eggs, emu eggs, ostrich eggs, goose eggs, peacock eggs… you name the egg, and I’ve probably manipulated it in one way or another! If you are interested in seeing any of these, check out my website: www.PattysArtspot.com. You’ll see all sorts of artsy-fartsy stuff on there: Photos, tattoos, sculptures, paintings. Let me know if you want any artwork for yourself—I’m sure I could come up with something for you!
          My kids are my muses. They are getting used to seeing portraits of themselves with little fairy wing or riding snails around the house. They get pretty excited when they see them at the gallery (Morgantown Art Association) or in print, though.

If you asked my kids what their mom does for a living, they would probably tell you something like, “clean the house” or “makes us do homework” or “tells funny stories” or “reads books”. I doubt they would say tattoo artist, but that’s the truth. Okay, okay, I read a mean version of Where the Wild things Are, and I have been know to clean a toilet or two, but making art seems to be my forte. I think I’ll stick with that for a while.

          If you are interested in getting some art made (on paper or on your skin), let me know. Call the shop (304)598-0190. Email me at CPColebank@aol.com or Patty@PattysArtspot.com I’m also on the web at www.PattysArtspot.com.