A tattoo artist for nearly 40 years, Mary Jane Haake trained under the master, Bert Grimm, who bridged the breadth of the 20th Century and fed her the past through his endless accounts of people and places while he tattooed. In 1981 Mary Jane completed a fine arts degree at the Portland Art Museum School with a thesis in tattooing. That year she set up her studio, Dermigraphics, in downtown Portland in a building suitably called the Fine Arts Building. She has been there ever since. As an instructor and developer of topical anesthetics and antimicrobial products, she’s always looking ahead. Her demonstration and “bug hunt” classes are eye opening and timeless.
As a public speaker Mary Jane has graced the stage at the Portland Art Museum, and traveled internationally, sharing her knowledge and absorbing art etched in canvas and skin.
An award winning artist, this past year she won top awards from the National Tattoo Association, Alliance of Professional Tattooists and was listed as the Best Nipple Tattooist by the Willamette Week. Known for her custom tattoos, more recently she has offered her services through the medical community for breast cancer survivors and the Wounded Warrior Project. Her work with breast cancer survivors and older women opened her eyes to the need for natural organic products to heal and moisturize atrophied tissue, which leads to painful intimate encounters. Her “In the Pink” line of perles and oils is changing lives, just like a good tattoo.