Mike Ledger

About me:

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I was first introduced to the culture of tattooing by my grandfather, who was fully tattooed by Coney Island Blackie. Growing up around the New York hardcore scene, I would watch all my friends in bands getting tattooed by the likes of Mikey in Brooklyn. I started getting tattooed at the age of 13, and things just started happening from there. I started my apprenticeship in 1989 at Peter Tattoo in New York. By the early 90’s I started traveling back and forth to Denmark and Paris, working closely with Tin-Tin and getting tattooed by Filip Leu in Switzerland. I was able to learn a lot from working with so many amazing artists during my travels through Europe. Around ’95-’96, I started working at New York Adorned when it first opened and had the opportunity to work with many other greats like Scott Harrison and Chris Garver. In 1997 I moved to Germany to work with other European artists but continued to travel back to New York. When tattooing was legalized in New York, I moved back and went underground. It was then that I was invited to Japan’s first tattoo convention and returned frequently to do guest spots at Chopstick Tattoo in Osaka. On my travels between New York and Japan, I would stop in Hawaii to visit friends. I soon realized that I had found my future home where I could settle down and start a family. I moved permanently to Hawaii in August of 2000 and opened my first shop, New Tribal Tattoo in Waikiki with Pooino. Then in 2002 I opened my own shop, Mike Ledger Inc. on Auahi Street. I relocated the shop in 2003, this time to the corner of McCully and King Street. I recently re-modeled the shop with hardwood floors with more of a gallery type ambience than a tattoo shop. I work out of one room and have my painting studio in the other. I can focus again on my true passions which are bodysuits, painting and doing art shows and books again. I am still working on designs for Element Skateboards, and recently painted a permanent installation for the Contemporary Museum of Art’s café wall, which was a 6’x24’ piece. My life is now dedicated to my son, Mana, and my beautiful wife, Tina. It’s been nothing but work hard and being a good dad. I still strive constantly to grow as a tattoo artist and painter, and work hard to be the best husband and father that I can be. Thank you to all the artist and clients who have helped me build my career and become who I am. A special mahalo to the people of Hawaii who have welcomed me so open heartedly and become my hanai family. I am very proud to be a part of this tattoo movement in Hawaii, but I feel like I am just picking up where the greats left off – Sailor Jerry, Ed Hardy and the late Mike Malone.