Vyvyn Lazonga

Who is Vyvyn Lazonga?

Vyvyn Lazonga, born Beverly Bean, is a tattoo artist who began her career in Seattle in the early 1970s and was trained by Danny Danzl. She was one of the first women to work for herself in the industry, not her husband or another male shop owner. She worked in San Francisco and was tattooed by Ed Hardy in the 70's. She won the award for Best Tattooed Female in 1978 for his work. Later she was fortunate enough to meet Horiyoshi II at one of Lyle Tuttle's parties before returning in 1989 to open her studio in Seattle.

Vyvyn Lazonga has been a tattoo icon for more than 30 years. She was one of the first female artists in the world who went out on her own and didn't work for her husband or partner; she worked for herself and her art. She broke many boundaries, challenged the tattoo/artistic norm, and continues to create amazing custom body art today.

She has, along with Madame Chinchilla, advocated the use of tattoos to cover mastectomy scars as an aid to recovery.