My name is Kaija Heitland and I am a lot of things, so it’s kind of hard to know where to start.

I grew up on the west coast of Canada, fishing, hunting, foraging, and playing music in the wilds. I was a feral child with loving and encouraging parents to explore and nurture my curiosity in all things.

Somehow, this neurospicy forest creature/bog witch found her way into the world of graphic design and tattooing, and I have pursued this love of finding universal truths in art ever since.

You are going to find me taking nerdy pictures of nature, picking mushrooms, cooking and re-watching any Tolkien anything for the umpteenth time, and drawing furiously accompanied by my trusty companions Markus, Cairo and Ripley.

First and foremost, I find myself an illustrator these days. On average I draw between 3 and 10 hours a day while at home, and spend the rest observing my world from every dimension I am able to, and bring that inheritance of study and skill honing into everything I do. My main areas of study are science-fiction, biology, film, literature, architecture, jewellery design and paleontology, but I am always so happy for a challenge that I welcome whatever you might throw at me.

I have been tattooing for around 20 years now and have found a distinct style and flow in what I call “bio-nouveau”. It is the closest approximation I can come to in describing the influences that I find the most inspirational. Biomechanics or biomechanical tattooing doesn’t actually have anything to do with springs or gears, but is actually “the study of the movement of biology”. In short, the movement of life, and that describes my curiosity in art better than anything.

My love of art nouveau extends far past the popular theatre posters of Alphonse Mucha, and into the spectacular jewellery, sculpture architecture and glass design of René Lalique, Luis Masriera, Georg Jensen, Émile Gallé, Alice Ledru, Henri Rapin and Louis Majorelle. If you are not familiar with any of these artists, I encourage you wholeheartedly to look them up and expand your visual vocabulary with their incredible work, and maybe find inspiration for your next piece with me.

Come visit us. I would love to work with you on something truly original and provide you with a unique tattoo and travel experience.

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