Garden of Ink
A portrait of Joee Green at Magic Tattoo in Athens, Ohio, April 28, 2025.
Joee Green places a tattoo stencil on Mack Bentley's arm in her studio at Magic Tattoo in Athens, Ohio, April 1, 2025. Green primarily works on larger, nature based tattoos, with a focus on animals and plants.
Joee Green's notebook of tattoo designs in her studio at Magic Tattoo in Athens, Ohio, April 1, 2025.
Joee Green draws a tattoo on Mack Bentley's arm in her studio at Magic Tattoo in Athens, Ohio, April 1, 2025. Though most of her work is done on stencils, she occassionaly does freehand drawings as well.
Joee Green tattoos a flower design on Mack Bentley's arm in her studio at Magic Tattoo in Athens, Ohio, April 1, 2025. Green primarily works on larger, nature based tattoos, with a focus on animals and plants.
Joee Green talks with Andrea Valletta as she works on inking a piece on her upper arm in Green's studio at Magic Tattoo in Athens, Ohio, April 11, 2025.
Joee Green works on a floral tattoo on Andrea Valletta's upper arm in her studio at Magic Tattoo in Athens, Ohio, April 11, 2025. Valletta is one of Green's regular clients, having already gotten multiple pieces from her with more to come. "I'm really grateful that people, my existing clients, have stuck with me through specializing."
Joee Green focuses as she works on a flower piece on Andrea Valletta's upper arm in Green's studio at Magic Tattoo in Athens, Ohio, April 11, 2025. From start to finish, this piece, which ended in full color, took about two and a half hours. "I grew up knowing all the flowers and plants being a crazy bug lady, but that made me happy, and I was able to hone in on that. "
Joee Green works on a floral piece on Andrea Valletta's upper arm in Green's studio at Magic Tattoo in Athens, Ohio, April 11, 2025.
Joee Green tattoos a flower design on Mack Bentley's arm in her studio at Magic Tattoo in Athens, Ohio, April 1, 2025. Green primarily works on larger, nature based tattoos, with a focus on animals and plants.
Joee Green works on a flower tattoo on Mack Bentley's arm in her studio at Magic Tattoo in Athens, Ohio, April 1, 2025.
Joee Green's rolling table in her studio at Magic Tattoo in Athens, Ohio, April 11, 2025. This table is where she keeps wipes, ink, towels and other items she needs nearby while tattooing.
Joee Green works on a flower tattoo on Mack Bentley's arm in her studio at Magic Tattoo in Athens, Ohio, April 1, 2025.
Andrea Valletta's upper arm flower tattoo in Green's studio at Magic Tattoo in Athens, Ohio, April 11, 2025. At this point, the outline and green coloring had been finished, as Green was about to start working on the other colors of yellow, brown, and purple.
Joee Green finishes the color on a floral piece on Andrea Valletta's upper arm in Green's studio at Magic Tattoo in Athens, Ohio, April 11, 2025.
Mack Bentley looks over his newest tattoo of a flower on his arm at Magic Tattoo in Athens, Ohio, April 1, 2025.
Athens, Ohio has a lively tattoo culture. Like many college towns, tattoo shops can be found around nearly every corner. Situated off Stimson Avenue, Magic Tattoo has become one of the premier spots to get inked in Athens, thanks in large part to owner and artist Joee Green.
I had previously interviewed Joee for a story regarding the tattoo culture in Athens, as I believe it is one of the most human forms of art there is. Unlike many tattoo artists, she not only operates Magic but also specializes in one particular style of tattoos, one she refers to as “Botanicals & Critters,” focusing on highly detailed plants and small animals. And being an owner of the shop, she has a high degree of say in how the parlor looks and feels for clients.
Although many tattoo shops tend to be darker and have a more industrial or grungy aesthetic, Magic Tattoo strives to be as welcoming as possible, with the large plants strewn about as soon as you walk into the lobby, reflecting Joee’s love of nature. When you enter her private studio, the walls are painted a calming yellow, with drawings of cats, plants, and other artists’ works dotted along them. In one corner of the ceiling is a disco ball, and in the other a multicolored glass mosaic. Even the table on which Joee keeps her inks and paper towels is bright pink and in the shape of a heart, showing the welcoming environment she wants to create for clients, especially those just getting their first pieces. This atmosphere emanates not only from the space but from Joee herself, as she chats and gossips with clients. When she is not intently focused on her craft, she almost always has a smile on her face.
The process of being tattooed can be a long and painful one. Depending on the placement, it can run along bones, nerves, and some of the most sensitive spots on the human body. But Joee knows this, having dozens of tattoos of her own. She allows her clients to do what they need to do to deal with the pain, whether it be allowing them to clutch her thigh during the process or letting them take as many breaks as needed.
Because of the care she exhibits for her clients and work, Joee has built up a devoted clientele, with people coming back again and again to get permanently inked with her nature inspired artwork.