Primeval Ink Tattoo (Olympia)

We are NOT closing!
Yes we will be having a Friday the 13th special!

"This is addressed to those who don't want to rent apartments to people with dogs and also to those who won't rent houses to them:

I can't take my dog to the beach for a walk because it bothers you on your vacation. You also won't let me rent a house if I have a dog, and I can't bring my dog on public transport either.
However, I can take my dog through the rubble to find you after an earthquake, into the forest after you got lost in the mountains without a map or GPS, under the snow because you went off-piste despite the prohibition, into the water because you swam despite the red flag, and anywhere else you might need because, in the end, it's just a dog... but it will find you.

Dedicated to all those who don't love dogs."

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If the part of your brain is working where sensitivity is generated, if you still have it there, this photo has to make you feel something.
It doesn't matter the species, I look at it and I know what it's feeling. It's called "empathy." ... They did NOT choose the role they play in this world, let alone being rejected by so many people.

love you -Primeval Ink

Goodbye Olympia, we love you!
After careful consideration, we at Primeval Ink Tattoo have decided to close up shop. We love you Olympia, but it's time. You have left a mark on all of us who have worked here, and we are honored to have left our mark and had the experience of working in beautiful downtown Olympia these last 9 years. This last March first actually marked our 27th year in business!
What a wild business this is! We really had no idea what we were in for. In 1997, after a truly alarming and unpleasant though long-sought old-school apprenticeship at Skinprint Tattoo, Suzanne Shepherd and Andi Lineweaver did not know where to go, so we naively opened our own shop in West Seattle’s White Center, home of scratchers and self-styled gangstas. I can still picture Andi tattooing and calmly lecturing some big scary young homie about completing his education. Trained as social workers, we social-worked and tattooed the bejeezus out of those guys and came to be known as “The Ladies”.
Searching for a more countrified atmosphere, we moved to Monroe, where, with impeccable timing, we opened a second shop immediately after 9/11. Primeval in Monroe was the first tattoo shop to stay open all year round, and eventually was taken over by the amazing Samantha Walsh after we realized that for family reasons we needed to head for Olympia, the home turf of Suzanne, where we established a shop in the unlikely locale of Steamboat Island Road just off 101. There we stayed for the next nine years.
We opened the downtown Olympia shop November 1st, 2014. For the last nine years we have watched the amazing changes taking place in town… we have enjoyed our block becoming one of the super-cool blocks, with us bracketed by Rainy Day Records and eventually Orca Books, as well as a fascinating kaleidoscope of other tenants in our building.
We have been truly amazed and enriched by all the people we have come to know and love (and sometimes not!) in and around this business, from the wonderful amazing variety of clients, wanna-be tattooers, hard-striving and talented apprentices, to other shop owners, artists and entrepreneurs in a variety of businesses over the years. Deep friendships have been formed and nurtured. The experience of working tattoo conventions and enjoying the incredible feeling of “These are my PEOPLE!” will never fade.
We have done our bit to help increase and support the burgeoning number of great tattooers over the years… Our very first apprentice Dawn Ashby, had a very successful career in Seattle and in Monroe for 19 years til laid low by a hand injury. Patrick Thomas apprenticed with us, stayed for many years til he got itchy feet and opened The Chapel, his solo studio on 4th Ave. You can reach him through Instagram . And others as well… The amazing Julia McKay spent two years with us (witchanddragon) and also Ceka Kitami in Austin Texas. Nathan Wirtz is at Calamity Jane’s Tattoo in Grand Junction, Colorado. Presley Davis at Pesky Birds in Auburn. And that’s not all.
Bree Giesy came to work for us after having owned her own shop, Incredible Machine in Chehalis. In 2022, Bree followed her destiny to Tucson, where she works at Evil Eye Tattoo. She has regularly returned to Olympia to guest spot for her long term clients and plans to continue that in the future. If you want to contact Bree, she can be reached through facebook, or on instagram
Ariel Vining started her apprenticeship with Primeval Tattoo as an internship through Evergreen in 2019. She regarded tattooing as her dream career and TESC as a portal. She spent six months in New Zealand studying native culture and touring tattoo shops. Ariel will be moving to upstate New York in September, where she will continue her tattoo career. She has plans to come back regularly to continue with her Oly clientele. You can contact Ariel on instagram or through her email [email protected]
Elizabeth Bentson came to finish her apprenticeship at Primeval in 2021, and grew into a steadfast member of the Primeval family. She plans on continuing her love of art, in tattoo form as well as the many other mediums that she practices. Liz can be reached at Instagram or email [email protected]
Andi Lineweaver will be partly retired from tattooing and piercing, and Suzanne Shepherd will continue to do custom tattooing as well as permanent cosmetics, but plans are not fixed in stone at this point. They can both be reached at [email protected] and also though Facebook.
The shop will be open by appointment through July and August, so feel free to book us for some goodbye ink! Priority will be given to long term clients or work in progress pieces. We started with a party, and we are ending with one: please feel free to join us for a last hurrah Saturday, August 31st from 4 to 8 pm at 313 5th ave SE.

This image The Piper at the Gates of Dawn - illustration by Arthur Rackham for The Wind in the Willows, is the one we laughingly call “Our Founder”… as the image of Pan playing the pipes was so inspiring to us when we first began plans for and opened Primeval Ink in 1997.

Some fabulous work by Liz from our archives

From my archives -Suzanne

From my archives -Suzanne

Vicki's arm by Suzanne... I've posted pics of this before but not this part of the tattoo... which I spent quite a few hours on last Saturday. I just love the graphic arrangement with her smiley face t-shirt! It was great fun hanging out with Vicki on her birthday!

Here’s another one from my archives!

Here's a piece from a while back and I would LOVE to do more like this ... (tattoo by Suzanne)

😍

Need a caption😁😀

Did you know that…

-In 1969, Marsha P. Johnson, a black transgender woman, is credited with throwing the first punch at the Stonewall Inn. Marsha was celebrating her 25th birthday by fighting for her rights in the riots that happened in NYC.

-The U.S Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states on June 26, 2015.

-In 2022 Laverne Cox created the first transgender Barbie doll after Justine Lindsay, the NFL'S first openly transgender cheerleader.

Hey friends! Last year, together we raised $200 to help q***r youth. This year Liz would love to do it even better!

I have over 400 flash designs available, starting at $80. They are available for walk-ins every Friday 12-6, and scheduling with Liz.

To schedule or for more info:
Email Liz at [email protected]

Must be 18 and older with a valid ID. Cash only.
No hands, feet, face or neck.

Walk-in hours today for piercing!
Saturday 12-5

Okay now we no longer have to be quite so concerned about pandemic preparedness we are going back to having walk-in hours on certain days!!! We will not only have walk-in hours for piercing on Thursday and Saturday…. We ALSO have special prices for certain tattoos on walk-in Fridays with a great collection of flash to choose from…. Why wait for Friday the 13th to get a special deal?
Primeval Ink Tattoo
313 5th Ave se
Olympia Washington
360-867-4925

Friday the 13th is upon us! Come on down! Ariel, Liz, and Bree will all have flash deals going on! All in person, day of, cash only! They have their deals up in the hallway, and a sign up list (you have to go in, we will not be putting people on the list over the phone or online) first come, First served. Noon to 7 or 8 pm. A wide range of custom flash design you dont wanna miss!

Some recent projects and works in progress by Suzanne! Haven’t posted in a while so we’ve got catching up to do.

Hello friends, Liz here! My birthday is coming up next month🎉. So to celebrate, I'm going to be doing a raffle drawing!

I will be drawing 2 raffle tickets on August 20th! Each ticket costs $20, and there is an unlimited number of tickets you can purchase. Two winners will be named; you can only win once. Raffle entries must be completed by 10 pm, August 19th.

I will announce the winners by 5pm, August 20th on my personal facebook and instagram pages. You can find me on instagram . I will also contact the winners via email.

Each winner will receive a custom tattoo, up to 6 inches in diameter. ***And to sweeten the deal, any money spent on your raffle tickets is applicable to your next tattoo completed by the end of the year!***

No hands, feet, neck or face tattoos. No cover ups or fixes. I reserve the right to refuse any design (such as any gang signs, racist symbols, or culturally sensitive imagery).

When you send your payment, you MUST include the following information:

Write 'Tattoo Raffle' so know what the payment is for, your first/last name, your email, and your Instagram handle (if applicable).

Payments can be sent via
Paypal:
https://paypal.me/southpawartistry

Cashapp:
$fartingsasquatch

Square invoice (debit/credit card):
Please send email to [email protected]

All sales are final.

Photos of Suzanne and her work