MAREN
COLE

custom only. no flash, no walk-ins. i'm not interested in copying somebody else's design — that's not tattooing, that's tracing.

i work in bold linework, black & grey, and the occasional color piece when the subject demands it. botanical stuff. weird anatomical stuff. the occasional bird that looks like it's been through something.

i've been at iron & thread for four years. the shop is on state of franklin. i'm booked out about six weeks but i respond to every inquiry.

zero tolerance for people who ghost on deposits. zero patience for vague briefs. the more you tell me, the better the tattoo.

the painting is where i'm honest with myself. no client, no brief, no budget. just the panel and whatever's been sitting on my chest.

mostly oil on board. sometimes gesso. sometimes house paint when i'm broke and don't care. the work is getting heavier. i don't apologize for that.

i sell originals and i don't offer prints of paintings. if you want the painting you buy the painting. simple.

commissions are rare and only for people i've talked to. DM me @marencole on instagram if you're serious. "serious" means you've seen the work and you trust me.

i've been making zines since high school. risograph now, photocopier before that. it started as a way to get work out of my sketchbook and into somebody else's hands.

i do runs of 30–60. hand-numbered. some staple-bound, some folded single-sheet. most of them are $8–$12 at crater craft fairs or through the table at iron & thread.

i'm not trying to build a small press empire. i'm trying to keep making things that feel like mine.

upcoming: a zine about the nolichucky river. half drawings, half notes. drop your email and i'll let you know when it's done.

i shoot bands. not for hire, not with a package. i show up to the show, i take pictures, i give them to the band. that's it.

i've done this since 2017 at the down home, at the bristol sessions stage, at backyard shows off main in kingsport. the tri-cities has real music and most of it doesn't get photographed.

if you're booking a show or playing a show and you want someone there who actually cares about the music — reach out. i'm not expensive. some of the time i'll do it for the poster design.

two local bands i'm playing drums in right now. that's enough. one record dropping in march. i'm not telling you which one yet.