By: Bela Sparks

Leticia Bomtempo is a female artist making waves in the tattoo community for her strong skill set. She owns a shop on Jacksonville Beach, Queen Tattoo, and travels the country to work in many tattoo conventions each year. She says that she was born an artist and was drawn to the tattoo community’s rebellious side growing up.  

In Western culture, tattooing has historically been a male-dominated subculture since the 1800s. Although the practice has been around for centuries all over the world, artists in the United States would often refuse to tattoo women unless they had permission from fathers or spouses. Over time, women and other marginalized groups have flocked to the tattooing community for acceptance and community.  

Leticia hopes that her shop can be a space for creativity, acceptance, and expression. She wants her clients to not only experience quality work and service, but also get a sense of the real culture of tattooing. “It’s a place where cool kids can hang out with other cool kids,” she said.  

Anyone interested in meeting Leticia or getting some tattoo work done can visit the shop or follow Queen Tattoo on Instagram.