Kris Howes, Artist & Owner of InkMaine. With over 17 years tattoo experience, specializing in custom one of a kind tattoos, cover ups of old tattoos and scars, fine line black and gray and full color work. Being the only Artist at InkMaine for about 8 years, he has a roundabout tattoo style capable of tattooing almost any image. Howes is also a fine artist painter, logo designer, screen printer, wood worker, and much more artistic mediums.
Background of Howes: "I've done Art my whole life, drawing, painting, woodworking, crafts and more. I attended college for studio art, at a private art college called Chester College of New England. Not bad considering I never finished Berlin High School, turns out I did more drawing than homework. I quickly turned art into a side job drawing logos, business cards, and painting signs for businesses. There was no local Tattoo shop taking on apprenticeships, so I began tattooing myself heavily at around 18 years old. I tattooed only myself for about 6 months, then began tattooing family and friends in a private studio in NH. I studied tattooing a lot from watching artists I look up to, attending expos, asking questions, and working my ass off to get experience. After leaving NH for California for a few years, I decided working under big headed shop owners and doing day jobs was just not for me anymore. I moved to Maine, opened a private studio in my house for about a year until I could open a full time tattoo and art studio, called InkMaine, also resurected an old productions and event company I started with friends back in 2001, Gaskyl Productions. The first location opened in 2010, it was just 3 doors down from my current shop at 58 Congress Street, which has been going very strong. I'm proud to have my shop in Rumford, its growing more every year, and Gaskyl Productions is expanding rapidly as well. I enjoy this area of Maine, and the community really supports me and my businesses, so I do whatever I can to help support the community in return."
