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Richmond tattoo artist Amy Black, whose post-mastectomy tattoos help women regain self-confidence. (Photo by Kim Frost)
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Amy Black works on a tattoo of pegasus rising from flames for client Diane Horton. (Photo courtesy Amy Black)
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Recently Black created a full head tattoo design for Shera Gregory, a woman who lost her body hair in 2007 due to late-onset alopecia areata. (Photo courtesy Amy Black)
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About the cover image: Dawn Carter celebrates life and her successful battle against breast cancer with a cherry blossom tattoo from Amy Black. She’s also working to promote Black’s Pink Ink charity, which helps cover tattooing costs for women post-mastectomy. “I have opted not to be anonymous for this project, because I am proud of my journey, and I want others to see that one can survive this with beauty, grace and dignity, and to put a face to survivorship that I believe will resonate more with people.”
In August 2014, Lisa Jones received the post-mammogram phone call that strikes fear in every woman: “We found something,” a doctor told her.
After additional scans, images, and ultrasound tests, the presence of a mass in her left breast was confirmed. “I was in complete shock,” she says.
The Chesapeake resident has a family history of cancer, which helped her to make the decision to have a bilateral mastectomy, the removal of both breasts. After researching her options, Jones decided on breast reconstruction. She wasn’t interested in prosthetic nipples, but there was an intriguing, non-traditional option for Jones to consider: a tattoo.
Her plastic surgeon gave her the name of Richmond tattoo artist Amy Black, and she contacted her immediately. “I felt very comfortable with Amy,” Jones says. After a detailed consultation, Black went to work.
In the hands of a skilled tattoo artist, tattooing can transform the appearance of post-mastectomy breasts through specific, traditional techniques and the use of 3-D imagery to create the illusion of realistic nipples and areolas.
Jones was amazed at the transformation. “When they were both done, I couldn’t stop looking in the mirror,” she says. “Amy restored something cancer took from me. She restored my self-confidence. I feel normal again. Amy is extremely talented and I am truly blessed our paths crossed.”
For Black, owner of Amy Black Tattoos, located in a second-floor studio in Carytown, her work is a calling. In order to bring her best to each client, she maintains her physical and spiritual health with plenty of rest, exercise, a proper diet and “20 minutes of sun daily.”
She estimates she has created thousands of traditional tattoos and hundreds of post-mastectomy tattoos.
Amy Black works on a tattoo of pegasus rising from flames for client Diane Horton. (Photo courtesy Amy Black)
Black got her start in 2011 when a woman seeking information about the procedure contacted her out of the blue. “I saw an artist in Maryland was doing it,” she says, “but actually getting to do one was due to my first client just cold-calling me, looking for a woman tattoo artist in her area to help her out.”
That first client, Susan Wheeler, lost her left breast to cancer and subsequently endured chemotherapy, radiation and reconstruction. She was stunned when her doctor offered her a “tattoo” of a pink circle to replace her nipple and areola. She immediately began calling tattoo parlors in Richmond, looking for a female artist, and she found Black, who said she had not done nipple and areola tattooing, but was confident she could do the job. Wheeler was delighted with the result. “The tattoo is so realistic,” she says. “I continue to be amazed every time I see it. I am not ashamed anymore. Amy helped me to reclaim my body. This tattoo was such a gift.”
Black’s reputation has grown, through social media, word-of-mouth, and referrals from plastic surgeons. She has attracted clients from California, Michigan, Oregon, Texas, and New York, and has had inquiries about her services from Australia, England, Germany, and Italy.
She is well respected in the medical community; many of her clients are women who contact her after a referral from their plastic surgeon. Dr. Lewis Ladocsi of Richmond Plastic Surgeons refers post-mastectomy patients to Black for nipple and areola tattooing. “I’ve been working with Amy for a while,” Ladocsi says. “She does very good work, and the patients really like her.” According to Ladocsi, tattooing is a desirable alternative for patients who have undergone radiation treatments. “It usually is not possible to surgically reconstruct a nipple after radiation,” Ladocsi says, “and that’s where Amy can help.”
For those who have been able to retain their nipples and areolas during breast reconstruction, tattooing is the only technique that can be used to restore the natural color.
Black’s clients represent many age groups — she recently provided tattooed nipples and areolas for a 70-year-old woman. Reflecting a growing medical trend, some of her clients are women in their mid-to-late 20s who have had elective prophylactic mastectomies. Candidates for the surgery include women who have tested positive for BRCA1, BRCA2, or PALB2 gene mutations, which greatly increase the risk of breast cancer.
One of the first questions potential clients ask is, “When can I have it done?” “Everyone is different,” Black says, “but usually I suggest a minimum of three months post-surgery. The scar will tell when it is time.”
When a client rejects breast reconstruction but wishes to camouflage the scars, Black has the opportunity to demonstrate her artistic talent. One client wanted a peacock in its colorful splendor across her chest, and another chose a leafy vine design. Both women were very pleased, Black says, emotionally and physically.
Other medical tattoos
Recently Black created a full head tattoo design for Shera Gregory, a woman who lost her body hair in 2007 due to late-onset alopecia areata. (Photo courtesy Amy Black)
Recently Black created a full head tattoo design for Shera Gregory, a woman who lost her body hair in 2007 due to late-onset alopecia areata. The condition, which usually strikes children, is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the immune system attacks hair follicles. “In order to look ‘normal,’ I started wearing wigs at work and at most activities outside the home,” Gregory says. “But my bald state started feeling like the real me, and I found myself going out without my wig.” After seeing a woman on television with a complete head tattoo, Gregory decided to take “baby steps” in the tattooing process. Since she is a practicing Buddhist, she began with a lotus flower tattoo on the back of her head, and the rest of the design followed. “I was confident of Amy’s technical ability from the outset,” Gregory says. “The new look that I see in the mirror really does seem like my ‘real self’ now.”
Black created a nonprofit, The Pink Ink Fund, which helps to allay costs associated with tattooing, including travel and lodging expenses. She has an Instagram account for the fund, complete with “before and after” photographs, and she was shocked in mid-November when her account was deleted, due to “sexually suggestive content and nudity.” The outcry from the public and Black’s clients was swift, and the account within days was reinstated.
Drawn to ink
Black has always been focused on moving forward: She graduated from high school at 16 and attended the prestigious Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio, where she studied fine oil painting, with a concentration in anatomy, figure drawing, and color theory. She also received her first tattoo in art school, which ignited a passion that would later become her career.
After art school, she worked for corporate art warehouses that provided art to high-profile clients including Disney, Hard Rock Café and Victoria’s Secret. She also worked with private clients, creating hand-painted murals and faux finishes for home interiors. She continued to pursue her own painting when she could, and continued collecting unique tattoos. She also began to consider making a living as a tattoo artist, a profession that would honor her art background.
Black moved to Richmond in 1998 and in 1999 began an apprenticeship in a local tattoo parlor, where she learned the trade and found inspiration in Japanese, Chinese, Tibetan, and Hindu art, along with the work of masters such as Klimt, Dali, Picasso, and Van Gogh. After one year as an apprentice, she began her tattooing career, and in 2005 opened her Carytown business.
Prior to a tattooing session, Black conducts a consultation with each client to discover exactly what is desired, as a tattoo is a permanent, artistic communication tool. “Tattoos tell a lot about a person,” she says.
Roberta Zelenko fought her “triple negative” cancer diagnosis with chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and breast reconstruction with nipple and areola tattooing. “When I look in the mirror, I don’t see cancer anymore,” she says. “I was so impressed with her work, I later returned to Amy’s studio to have a snowdrop flower — a symbol of hope — tattooed over the scar from my chemotherapy port.”
Some of Black’s most-requested tattoos include nature scenes, animals, floral designs, hearts and skulls, music-related themes, personalized designs, and military service. She feels fortunate to be a member of Richmond’s burgeoning tattooing community, particularly now, when tattooing has begun to be recognized as a serious art form. According to the websites Ink Army (inkarmy.com) and Total Beauty (totalbeauty.com), Richmond is ranked No. 3 as the most tattoo-friendly city in the U.S., after Las Vegas at No. 2 and Miami Beach, No. 1.
Black is quick to offer gratitude for the gifts in her life. “Being able to support myself in the arts is a dream I’ve had since I was a child,” she says, “and being able to help others by making them happy, completed, or by helping them mark a memorial for someone, is a huge service to be capable of, and I am honored to do it.”
