“Tattoos have fascinated me since the first decade of my life. I always wanted to be a tattoo artist. My journey began in 1975 in Amsterdam, where I got mentored by the late Tattoo Peter. I then went to Columbus, Georgia where I worked for the late Jack Armstrong. After that it was back to my home state of Connecticut where after a couple of years working at Papillon in New Haven and then Hartford, I opened my own shop called The Fine Line in Deep River. I was there for about 23 years, sold it, and worked a couple years in California at Sacred Art and Gearhead. After that, I returned to Amsterdam where I have been since 2006. I worked 10 years at Tattoo Peter before hooking up with my old friend Danny Sawyer and coming to work at his shop, Rose Tattoo. I tattoo all over Europe at conventions and shops.
I love tattooing. It has given me a great life. I have traveled to many places and have been given a comfortable, enjoyable life. My style is classic NYC/ east coast traditional. There are very few tattooists doing this style anymore, and no one does it better than me.” – Bill Loika, 2020