Meet Nina Klaser | Tattoo Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nina Klaser and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nina, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I grew up in Georgetown, TX which is right outside of Austin so I had a lot artist influence from that amazing city but I also had a childhood in a small town surrounded by community. I remember going with my family to the Red Poppy Festivals in town, but also making the efforts to go into Austin for live shows and art festivals. It was kind of a best of both worlds. After high school, I moved to Denton, TX for college and if I’m being honest, it feels like Denton is my home now. I have grown into the young woman and professional I am today because of this amazing town. I graduated from UNT with a BFA in Painting and after graduation I worked as a Gallery Assistant for the UNT Gallery. After that I moved into art restoration, repairing paintings and antiques. It was during that work that I found I really loved work that involved intricate details and allowed me to utilize my skills for color matching. While I did very much enjoy my life in art restoration, I found myself feeling lost at the end of day. I was desperate for a creative outlet, but found myself too worn out at the end of day to actually create anything. Once COVID happened it was kind of a blessing in disguise because I was able to fully dedicate myself to my tattoo apprenticeship. It was during this time that I think I finally began to find my true self and become the person I’ve been wanting to be all along. All this happened while living in Denton, with wonderful support of my friends and community, and even though it’s taken me perhaps a bit longer than some to find my purpose artistically, I always had them cheering me on. Now, my husband and I are finally making our move to Denver, CO permanently instead of intermittent visits and we couldn’t be more excited or ready for the next chapter.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My tattoo designs focus on blending styles. I studied 19th century European art history in college and I fell in love with it. I try to keep that appreciation alive in my tattoo designs. In addition, throughout my tattoo apprenticeship, I really grew to appreciate neo-traditional tattoo styles. Blending these two styles along with my inclination for realism and floral accents that I found my style. I’m very proud of completing my apprenticeship and I’m even more excited to see where my career leads in Denver. My husband and I have been talking about moving to Denver basically since we started dating and now, especially thanks to my tattooing career, we have the opportunity. It hasn’t been easy to make that transition, I had to travel a lot back and forth to guest spots and to put my name out there in the Denver tattoo scene. I’m still very fresh to the area, but I honestly couldn’t be more excited for this next challenge. I want the world to know that it’s never too late to learn something new. It’s never too late to start over. It wasn’t easy to start an unpaid apprenticeship during COVID. I went back to bartending for a year to help keep the bills paid, but as long as you keep trying your best and you have someone next to you cheering you on, it’s never too late to chase what you really want in life. I mean, whats the point of this life, if you aren’t spending it doing what you love with the people you love?

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would definitely make sure to see the Art District on First Friday. Santa Fe St. pops off in an unreal way with so many amazing vendors and all the art you can take. Last time I went, there was a huge rain storm that down poured but instead of everyone clearing out and going home, so many of us just kept going from gallery to gallery and stall to stall. It was amazing and so wild. I also really enjoyed the Mission Ballroom, it has probably some of the best acoustics for live music that I have ever heard. Ace. Eat. Serve. Is also a really great spot to get some dinner and have a friendly game of ping pong. It takes some really unique spins on delicious Asian foods and has the light hearted atmosphere to really let loose and get into the game.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband, Austin Ford. He is my soulmate and I would never be anywhere with “him” in my life. He has never faltered in his support for me, he has never doubted me, and it’s him that keeps me going everyday. I wake up everyday thankful for his presence in my life. He drives me crazy and keeps me sane.

Instagram: @sleepy_poppy_tattoos

Image Credits
I took all the photos of my work and the picture of me at work was taken by my co-worker Archie at Dark Age Tattoo.