Tattoos aren’t just ink on skin, they’re stories, scars and snapshots of who we are. Some mark healing while others mark heartbreak or memory. For Reno tattoo artist Angel Keene, every tattoo is a moment of trust, representing a chance to give someone a permanent piece of art they’ll carry forever.
But his journey to becoming the person behind the needle? Well, it wasn’t exactly simple.
Growing up in Reno, Keene’s first glimpse into the world of tattoos came from his stepdad, Josh, a punk rock guy covered in ink and piercings.
“He was just that cool dude, and I thought the idea of putting cool art on people was awesome,” Keene recalled.
It was the kind of impression that sticks and by 18, Angel was chasing his own tattoo dream with his first apprenticeship. But life hit hard with Reno’s economy. Bills needed paying, so art took a back seat. He bounced between jobs from food service, warehouses, or anything that kept the lights on. Even with life pulling, art for him never stopped.
“For me, art is like an escape. A chance to be relaxed and mindful,” he shared.
Life took another turn when he joined the Army searching for direction. But after a year and a half, a medical discharge brought that chapter to an end. Angel later spent six years working at Apple where he found fulfillment in teaching digital art classes, showing people how to use their iPad to draw their own pieces of art. It wasn’t tattooing, but it was creative, and fed a part of him that needed to connect with people.
“Connecting with people and being creative, that’s what I love,” he mentioned.
Still the itch toward tattooing never faded and his wife, Kaylee, noticed. In 2022 she encouraged Keene to quit his job, offering to support him while he gave his dream another shot.
“It didn’t work out when you were 18,” she told him, “but you still bring it up. What do you think?”
“So I took a gamble,” he explained.
In just three weeks, they packed up their life in Hawaii and moved back to Reno. Angel hit the ground running with a portfolio in hand, carrying nearly 18 years worth of drawings.
Angel started over, looking for an apprenticeship and rebuilding connections. By this time everyone he had known in the industry was much older, making it harder to break back in.
“It was cool being at home, but boring. I had to get out,” he emphasized.
It all finally paid off when he walked into ‘Working Class Tattoo’ in Fallon, and met Dan Paul, in a fortuitous twist of fate.
Turns out Dan wasn’t just any tattoo artist. He had been friends with Angel’s biological father in high school.
Dan took Angel under his wing, and mentored him for a seven month apprenticeship. During that time, Angel practiced relentlessly on those who trusted him, learning that sometimes tattooing is more than a steady hand and good art.
“You have to be an excellent communicator. Sometimes you’re like a therapist and you carry that weight because this is permanent. It is changing someone’s body forever.”
The most meaningful tattoo Angel ever gave wasn’t his cleanest line work or most intricate design. It was actually the first and last tattoo he gave his mom.
She had always been his biggest supporter, even taking him to get his first tattoo at 15.
Angel laughed, admitting it was “a zombie on a skateboard.”
“It wasn’t my best tattoo but it was the most meaningful. She supported me from the beginning and it felt like a full circle moment,”Angel shared. “The tattoo was nothing crazy, it was her dog’s name.”
His mom passed not long after, fighting cancer.
Now Angel works at Twofold Tattoo on Wells Ave. in Reno. His style leans toward semi-realism, and creating art that matters to his clients. The kind of tattoos people look at years later and still feel something.
“You’re changing your body forever. Find someone you align with, someone you feel comfortable with. Don’t rush it,” he advised.
Looking back, Angel credits his journey to those who believed in him. His wife, who believed in him enough to push him to try again. Dan, who took a chance on him. His mom, who was always in his corner. And a community that welcomed him back.
“Tattooing is a beautiful way to connect with human beings and give them a life changing form of expression,” he said.
For Angel that is truly what it comes down to: the connection, courage and the stories that will remain forever etched in ink.