Photo by Lily Shea Photography
Devotion Tattoo Company entrance
Devotion Tattoo Company
Devotion Tattoo Company recently opened up at 2898 S. Delaware Avenue in Bay View. The shop, co-owned by Jin Quirk and Chris Burke, provides quality tattoo experiences while carefully following COVID safety protocols in order to ensure as safe and accessible of an environment as possible. Devotion Tattoo officially opened last October and currently operates on an appointment-only basis.
Jin Quirk and Chris Burke met in 2015 and have both been tattooing in different shops around Milwaukee for years.
Burke (@chris_burke_tattoos on Instagram) has about 14 years of experience and previously worked at Body Ritual, Saints & Sinners, Serenity Ink Tattoos, Riverwest Tattoo Company and Ghost Light Tattoo Parlor (which he still owns and tattoos out of). He was taught to be a walk-in artist and specializes in custom work. “I get a lot of requests for color realism, but I enjoy westernized Japanese and American traditional tattooing too,” he explains. “I like a lot of black and gray stuff. I also just love tattooing flowers (laughs).”
Quirk (@j.quirk on Instagram) has been tattooing for about six years and had previously been at Akara Arts, Riverwest Tattoo Company and Ghost Light Tattoo Parlor. They gear towards traditional American and Japanese styles. “I’m also a printmaker by heart and trade, so I really like etching style and fine line details,” they share. “I love tattoos that touch on anything nostalgic or mythological. I want to do more bold stuff with lots of bright colors and heavy blacks and things like that.”
The couple decided to open their own shop together both to keep COVID protective measures in place and also to have a bigger space. “It’s been a very lonely and heartbreaking time,” Quirk remarks about the pandemic.
Proactive on Health
Photo by Lily Shea Photography
Devotion Tattoo Company
Devotion Tattoo Company
As a person with a disability, Quirk has long been proactive about the medical precautions that go into tattooing in general. “I’ve always been very concerned about bloodborne pathogens and clean air and things like that,” they elaborate. “I needed a space that was curated especially for disabled people and COVID-conscious folks, and I couldn’t wait any longer to build a place that fits me and people like me.”
The shop’s name references their utmost level of attentiveness and care they provide for clients. Devotion Tattoo is wheelchair accessible and caters to people with light or noise sensitivity and other accessibility needs. High-grade HEPA filters circulate and clean the air throughout each room. Water and snacks are available. Masks are required, with multiple types provided at the door.
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“The space used to be an old gym,” Burke notes. “We brought our friend Dan Spack in and he started tearing up the place and put in what was basically a stage where we would put all our plants. Upon pulling out the old linoleum floors we resurfaced this beautiful black and white mosaic tile and then Dan put some curves into the building. We kind of just let him do his thing and it ended up working beautifully. That man is a genius and he put his heart into it.”
Artist Trystan Shields (@loserlad) also tattoos at Devotion. “They’re fantastic,” Quirk says about Shields. “Trystan does a lot of fine line, illustrative color work.”
Devotion Tattoo currently has a number of apprentices in the shop. Quirk continues, “We’ve got some really cool people. My apprentice Lee (@human_blanket) likes a lot of ignorant style and contemporary tattoos, and Chris’ apprentice Zackary Smoke (@zackarysmoke) is really interested in traditional Japanese stuff with his own flavor.”
Burke adds, “There’s also Tim (@illiterate.arts) who actually did our hand-painted signs on the glass, and then we have Mona (@sealem0n) who is actually the daughter of the owner of the violin shop across the street.”
Folks from the neighborhood have given Devotion Tattoo a warm welcome. “People stop by every single day and tell us how cool what we’re doing is and are so happy we’ve revived the building,” Quirk mentions.
“We just want our space to be somewhere everyone can feel safe in,” Burke states. “I’m very grateful I could be a part of a place like this.”
Quirk and Burke have decorated the shop with thrifted dark wood furniture. In addition to tattoos, they also have art, plants, pottery and secondhand clothing for sale. The shop holds tattoo history seminars focusing on the medium’s presence in different parts of the world. “We just did one where we explored Maori tattooing in New Zealand,” Burke says. “We’re excited to develop that and bring some more art history onto tattooers in Milwaukee, and it’s been really fun.”
Quirk wants to begin holding COVID safety seminars and also offer prevention kits at the shop. “A lot of people just don’t have the most accurate or up-to-date information, and I really just want to do as much as I can to keep the people in my community safe,” they affirm.
Masks will remain free to the public at Devotion Tattoo. Tattoo artists from other shops are welcome to come and practice or learn new techniques.
Visit Devotion Tattoo Company’s website at devotionmke.com or follow them on Instagram @devotiontattoomke to get in touch.
