Rayna Ross is making her mark.The metro area Mehndi artist, who is the brainchild behind a new tattoo shop in the city's up-and-coming Highland Park neighborhood, said she runs the nation’s first Indian woman-owned tattoo parlor. Sundara Tattoo, 3523 Sixth Ave., is situated in a red brick building north of downtown Des Moines.
“I’ve always considered myself an artist, not just a tattooer — really wanting people to have my original designs on their bodies, ” Ross said.
Ross grew up in St. Ansgar, a northern Iowa city with a population of just over 1, 100 people. As a teenager, she started learning Mehndi, a form of body art known as henna in Western culture, from YouTube videos.
Tattoo Underground ▷ In Lingen (ems)
Ross, who was adopted from India at age 2, said pursuing Mehndi represented a connection to her South Asian culture. After graduating from St. Ansgar High School, her parents encouraged her to attend Grand View University. Later, Ross transferred to Drake University.
Then, Ross dropped out of the private college and pursued her dream job: body art. For more than a decade, Ross performed Mehndi at metro area markets and pop-up events before she paved her own path in the Iowa tattoo industry.
Later, Ross owned a 150-square-foot studio in Pleasant Hill and moved onto the artist collective Mainframe Studios before opening in Highland Park.
The inks used in Mehndi are crafted from the leaves of a henna plant. The leaves are dried and made into powder that the artist turns into paste that releases a natural orange dye. As it begins to oxidize, it turns brown, Ross said.
But it is Sundara — known for its aesthetically pleasing social media posts and dozens of customers from around the Midwest — that catapulted Ross into the city’s tattoo scene.
Designs include Indian-inspired work and floral-focused drawings. Ross also trains an apprentice, Meanz Chan, an interdisciplinary artist based in Des Moines of the Chinese diaspora, at her new location.
Ross has suspended custom tattoos featuring designs recommended by clients in favor of her own flash and freehand creations. Demand in the industry evolved during the pandemic due to changes in resources as artists are moving away from custom work in favor of flash tattooing, Ross added.
Ross also sells custom pottery with positive affirmations such as, “You are my sunshine, ” and freehand Mehndi patterns for $80 to $250.
Jay Stahl is an entertainment reporter at the Register who has no tattoos. While there are no current plans to change that, he appreciates the art form. Please send any of your favorite local shop recommendations to jstahl@gannett.com or Instagram.
Our Des Moines is a weekly feature on an interesting person, place or happening in the Des Moines metro, the kind of gems that make central Iowa a special place. Have an idea for this series? Contact chunter@registermedia.com.Die angefragte Seite konnte nicht gefunden werden. Verfeinern Sie Ihre Suche oder verwenden Sie die Navigation oben, um den Beitrag zu finden.
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