Jeremiah Griswold (he/him) is founder and co-owner of White Whale. He is a contemporary oil painter and exhibits a mastery of the medium of tattoo after 16 years of praxis. Jeremiah specializes in figurative art, portraiture, linework, single needle pointillism, scientific illustration, and academic styles. He has learned from some of the finest artists in the world, including Roberto Ferri, Shane Wolf, Alex Venezia, Barry Moser, and Craig Moore. Jeremiah holds degrees in Literature and Theology in addition to his art training, and particularly enjoys the intersection of art, literature, and the mystical.
Rebecca Griswold (Becki) (she/her) is a poet and co-owner of White Whale with a degree from University of Cincinnati and an MFA candidate at Warren Wilson. Rebecca manages the shop and runs a tight ship in order to provide a world class tattoo experience for all of our guests. Her poetry has been published in multiple literary magazines including Superstition Review, Blood Orange Review, Cimarron Revolute, and Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel. Her debut full-length poetry book, The Attic Bedroom is out now with Milk and Cake Press.
Lynx Newman (she/her) studied Fine Arts at the University of Cincinnati’s DAAP program with a focus in classical painting, sculpture, and body art. She started tattooing professionally in June of 2017, and is already producing the quality of work of a veteran tattooist. Her favorite styles of tattooing include reproductions of fine art, fine lines, pointillism, illustration, realism, and portraiture. In addition to tattooing, Lynx also enjoys other mediums including oil painting, airbrush special effects for makeup and body art, and airbrushing cars and motorcycles. She cites influences that include Salvador Dali and KiKi Smith, which are apparent in her tattoo and fine art including the femininity of surreal concepts with decomposing nature and animal elements. Lynx also loves traveling with her husband and spending time with her fur babies.
TC Thomason (he/him/ya’ll) is a self-taught artist from Russellville, KY. His visual art background spans many mediums and styles - charcoal, pastels, ink, and paint; portraits, pointillism, and line drawings. He organizes shows and events as both an artist and curator, emphasizing the role art can play in community-building, connecting people around beauty and meaning.
He has a degree in economics from Centre College, an MA in Arts administration from Ohio State, and lives with his cat named Bill Murray.
Jojo Benton (she/her) is a self-taught artist born and raised in Northern Kentucky. Influenced by American traditional tattooing, her art reflects inspiration drawn from life experiences and travels around the world. Jojo’s path to tattooing emerged from a career working in Los Angeles as an Artist Manager, where she worked alongside notable musical acts cultivating creative campaigns for new records, tours, etc. To complement her tattooing and artistic journey, JoJo is a student of Psychology at the University of Cincinnati, pursuing another passionate area of her life in mental health counseling.
Outside of the studio, Jojo lives for adventure and travel with her husband Levi and their two daughters: Jaxx & Olli.
Artie Pee (he/him) has studied art in various mediums throughout his school years and beyond including drawing, oil painting, acrylics, and ceramics. He draws much of his artistic inspiration from everyday life.
Artie has been tattooing professionally for over 10 years, specializing in black and grey fine-line realism with surrealism elements. Artie especially likes using small needle groupings including single needle. Additionally, he enjoys designing and tattooing custom lettering, and has extensive experience tattooing anything from miniature fine line to full upper back lettering pieces.
Outside of tattooing, Artie enjoys motorsports, including collecting vintage and nostalgic motorcycles and hotrods. He also loves spending time with his small family including his teacup Chihuahua, Sasha.
Darcie Brock (she/her) is a skilled tattoo artist with a passion for creating beautiful and unique fine line tattoos. As a mother of three daughters, a wife, and a dog owner, Darcie understands the importance of connecting with people and creating meaningful relationships. Her clients appreciate her friendly and approachable nature, making them feel comfortable and confident in the tattooing process.
Darcie’s love for nature is reflected in her fine line whimsical nature-inspired tattoos. She also enjoys creating tiny tattoos of all kinds.
When she's not working in the studio, Darcie is pursuing a Masters Degree in nursing at Xavier University. She enjoys spending time with her family, exploring nature, and creating art in different mediums such as photography.
John Starr (he/him) began tattooing in Brooklyn, New York in 2017 under the apprenticeship of Reverend Lifan Chang at Gnostic Tattoo. Since then he has worked and practiced in traditional and custom style tattoos making guest appearances in LA and Miami.
His fine art and illustrative studies started in Sarasota Florida at the Ringling College of Art and Design, where he graduated in 2010. After graduation, he made his way to New York City to pursue a career in the arts. There he took on numerous projects including animating for tv shows, assisting in gallery paintings, illustrating independent books, creating mural art for local bars, and working with his wife in professional comics.
Fortunately, everything came into focus once he discovered tattooing and he has been tattooing professionally for the last 6 years. John is excited to bring Brooklyn-style tattooing back to his hometown of Cincinnati. He hopes to continue to create tattoo art for as long as his body allows.
He now shares a home with his wife and 3 cats in OTR.