Kathryn Moore: Dogstar Tattoo

Kathryn Moore graduated from Carnegie Mellon with a degree in Fine Arts. She followed that up with a certification as a Flight Instructor and taught for many years in Durham. Kathryn decided to go back to her artistic roots and began an apprenticeship in tattooing. Soon after that she opened her own studio.

Dogstar Tattoo opened its doors on Ninth Street in Durham, NC in 1997. At that time it was one of the very few female-owned tattoo studios in the U.S. She had worked in the industry for a few years when she decided to open a shop with a healthier environment than the ones she had already encountered. Dogstar is a drug-free shop and Kathryn accepts employees based on their skill-sets and portfolios regardless of gender, race, religion or sexual orientation. Compensation for all employees would be based on the work, not gender. That is was not a common practice 13 years ago. An all-inclusive, accepting environment is the corporate mission at Dogstar Tattoo.

Kathryn specializes in custom tattoo designs. She trys to make each and every design as specific to the individual as possible. "I really try to view it from their perspective. What is the piece saying to them, or doing, or representing? Sometimes it's really not that much, and that's what you perform. But if people really want to get in depth, and the idea has all these personal layers, I try to address all of those to the best of my ability. Keeping in mind that I have to create a tattoo that is going to age gracefully."

Placement and positioning of the tattoo is vital. "I don't see the image as being separate from the person," says Kathryn. "It's of primary importance to me that a tattoo fits the body, how the person moves, how they're going to wear it and how it's going to age. To me that's key. I really don't like to take an image and just stick it on."

I asked Kathryn if there is any one particular theme or style of art she prefers to work with. "I don't think there's imagery that I can nail down as one thing that I love to do, but what I do love is to assist people with a stated goal. This could be a spiritual transition, a mile-marker, the grieving process, or empowerment symbols."

From the Dogstar website: "The people who envision a tattoo as an expression of the inner search or understanding, their connection to the universe, will hopefully discover that this shop has been opened to allow that search and expression to emerge through the tattoos produced by our artists. So if you discover your inner path and want to immortalize it in a visual representation on the surface of your skin, you will find, at Dogstar, a place that will help you realize your vision."
- Kathryn Moore

Any final thoughts? Kathryn replied, "I think frequently of my stay on this planet in a historical context and feel lucky that I've been able to be in the tattooing industry as it has really grown and blossomed into and art form."