Ryan Ashley is a Grammy-winning artist who has taken the art of tattooing to a whole new level of ingenuity. The tattoo artist tattoos exclusively in black and grey and have decorated her body with enough works of art to answer a potential client’s question about her abilities.
She became known after participating in Paramount Network’s reality TV tattoo contest Ink Master: Angels. The show is an offshoot of the original Ink Master contest Ashley had previously participated in and won the title in her eighth season.
Ryan Ashley Biography, Age
Ryan Ashley Malarkey was born on April 29, 1987, in northeastern Pennsylvania. Nothing is known about her before her college education. Since she was a little girl, Ashley has always been in love with art. Years later she decided to pursue that dream in the world of fashion design.
Ryan Ashley enrolled at the Technical College of Fashion to study fashion design. She graduated in 2007 and won the Critic’s Choice Award in her class. After graduating, she was hired by a private label apparel company where she worked as an artist and fashion designer until sometime in 2011.
Ryan had decided to pursue her art studies a little differently – as a tattoo artist. She moved back to her home state of Pennsylvania and took an apprenticeship at a private tattoo studio, where she got into the business and began working on her unique design style. She spent a year there.
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Since then Ashley has developed an entrepreneurial side to her tattooing talent. She owns her own private, appointment-only tattoo studio in the city of Kingston, Pennsylvania. Ryan is also co-owner of an e-commerce platform where she sells some oddities, from glass eyes and skulls to bath bombs and tarot cards.
Ashley participated in the 8th edition of the Ink Masters Tattoo Artists Competition in 2016 and was named the winner. She was the first woman to win the competition since its inception. The following year, Ryan Ashley played the lead role in Ink Masters: Angels, which was an offshoot of the original that she had won in 2016. On the show, she toured the country with Gia Rose, Kelly Doty, and Nikki Simpson, who all participated in Ink Masters together with Ashley.
In this spin-off show, Ryan and her former competitors toured the country and held competitions in various cities for aspiring and local tattoo artists to compete against each other. The contest was designed so that the winner of the contest could compete with either Ashley or one of her friends. The Ink Masters: Angels also served as a way to recruit candidates for the following season of the original Ink Masters competition. She continued her role as host of the spin-off show and returned there for the second season in March 2018.
Ryan Ashley has also been on the cover of several body art publications including the June/July 2015 issues of Inked Magazine and Freshly Inked.
Her Tattoos
The ink goddess has certainly done some elaborate ink work for many of her customers, who are undoubtedly eternally grateful and probably refer even more people to her. But the greatest testimony to her ingenious artistry is herself. Ashley’s body is covered by her works. Among these tattoos, she has also managed to incorporate many elements that are as diverse as they are beautiful. However, there are three elements that are constantly repeated on the canvas of her body: animals, traditional/religious symbols, and jewelry.
A quick look at her tattoos will reveal some very thought-provoking images that will certainly make the viewer wonder what inspired her. Here are some of her tattoos:
- a rat dressed as an Orthodox bishop
- a bedazzled owl
- a fox with some really fancy neckwear
- a naked woman covered in jewelry
- a retro pocket watch
- the figures ‘1961’ and ‘1993’ on her knuckles, and much more.
Other facts you must know about Ryan Ashley
1. Ashley is an animal lover
Given the sheer amount of animal tattoos on their skin, this is not really surprising. Ryan Ashley’s home in Pennsylvania is also home to two dogs that mean the world to her. Their names are Toronto and Casper.
2. She found time for love
Given the way she has thrown herself into her career as a tattoo artist, and given the alarming number of clients and competitions she has participated in, it is surprising that she has found time to put some romance into it somewhere. Ryan Ashley has a friend named Joshua Balz. They live together in Pennsylvania.
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3. Ashley is thankful for her time in fashion
Even though the Ink Goddess believes that she began her career later than most, she is grateful for all that the journey has taught her. Especially when it comes to her time as a fashionista. Because apart from her one-year training in a tattoo studio, she has no other special training apart from her time in the fashion house. During her apprenticeship, she worked as an artist and spent hours drawing, painting, sketching, designing, and polishing up her Photoshop skills freehand.
4. She co-owns the oddities merch business with her boyfriend
Apparently, Ashley and Joshua are not only about love and romance: they are both lovers and business partners. Ashley and Joshua Balz started their Salon of Strange and Unusual Oddities together, and most of the items on display in the store were initially personal items that had sentimental value for the couple. Ashley Ryan said this time in her life taught her the important life lesson of letting go.
Ryan Ashley’s height and body measurements
For someone whose body is their greatest asset, there is no – at least no reliable – information about their body statistics, such as height, weight, and height. It seems that she jealously guards this information against her fans and the general public. However, if she reveals it, we will inform you about it.
