08/11/2026
MEET THE ARTIST
Wes Neal | Tattoo Artist
Next up, meet Wes Neal — an East Nashville native, born and raised, longtime tattoo artist, husband, father, and one of the seasoned artists bringing years of experience to our shop.
Wes’ journey into tattooing has a story all its own — and according to him, we can partially thank Kurt Russell for it.
A little about Wes:
I’m an East Nashville native, born and raised, and my introduction to tattooing came from an unlikely place: Kurt Russell’s character, Snake Plissken, in Escape from New York. So thanks, Kurt. And if anybody happens to be friends with him, please tag him for me.
Then there was Barry, the delivery driver at my mom’s work. Thanks for always showing me whatever cool new tattoo you had gotten when you came in on delivery days.
And of course, there’s Dan Davis — the brave soul who let me do my very first tattoo when we were 15 years old… in his mom’s kitchen. Man, things have gotten WAY better since then, homie. Although I’m pretty sure Dan’s mom still thinks I was the worst friend he could’ve ever had.
Fast-forward to 1999, and I was officially in the tattoo game, working alongside people I still consider family today, even though life has spread us all over the place. Love y’all. And Whitt the Wizard — thank you for seeing something in me and giving me a chance.
These days, I enjoy tattooing just about every style. I really love darker surrealism, but I’m just as happy creating a beautiful floral piece or breaking out the color for some watercolor work. I love being able to switch things up and continue challenging myself as an artist.
Now I’m adjusting to being one of the “old timers” in the tattoo game — and yeah, that takes some getting used to. But if all these years have taught me anything, it’s this: when you find something you truly love doing, never give up on it.
I’m a father.
A husband.
A cat dad.
A friend in Christ.
And beyond blessed.
I’m grateful for every opportunity that has found its way in front of me and especially grateful to be part of a group of artists who continue pushing me to evolve — for my wife, my kiddos, my friends, my clients, and the art I’ll leave behind.
Maybe one day, I’ll get to be somebody’s Kurt Russell, Barry the delivery guy, or Dan Davis — that person who unknowingly inspires some kid who feels a little lost and is just trying to find where they belong.
