TRAVIS WHEELER
Fine Artist, Tattooer, Muralist
About
Travis Wheeler, also known in the art world as Borrowed Times, is a highly respected tattoo artist celebrated for his breathtaking realism and exceptional versatility across mediums. With a deep passion for visual storytelling and fine detail, Travis has carved out a reputation as one of the most skilled realism tattooists in the region. His work is known for its emotional depth, technical precision, and lifelike quality that leaves a lasting impression.
Travis’s journey into art began with street culture—his roots in sign painting and large-scale outdoor murals laid the foundation for his bold creative voice. Over the years, he has brought that same expressive energy into the tattoo studio, where he specializes in hyper-realistic portraits, nature scenes, and surreal compositions. Whether working in black-and-grey or color, Travis approaches each piece with the eye of a painter and the discipline of a craftsman.
In addition to realism, Travis is widely recognized for his incredible typography and lettering work. His background in sign painting and mural art has refined his ability to craft custom letterforms with personality, flow, and edge. Whether it’s a delicate script or a bold illustrative type treatment, Travis’s lettering tattoos are as thoughtfully composed as his imagery—balanced, impactful, and deeply personal.
Beyond the tattoo machine, Travis continues to contribute to the visual landscape through vibrant public art and mural work. His large-scale pieces can be found on walls and in communities throughout the Pacific Northwest, often blending urban grit with narrative beauty. Through both tattooing and muralism, Travis creates immersive experiences that connect with people on a personal level. The name Borrowed Times reflects Travis’s philosophy on life and art: that every moment—and every piece—is precious, temporary, and worth honoring. Whether you’re looking for a deeply meaningful tattoo, a standout piece of custom lettering, or a collaborative mural project, Travis brings passion, professionalism, and profound artistic vision to everything he touches.
Summer is almost gone.•
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#borrowedtimesstudio #blackandgreytattoo #tattoorealism #handmade #typography #typespire #goodtype #pdxart #pdxartist #portland #tattoo #tattooartist #pdx
All I need is a little rain and some hoodie weather actually. Maybe a bonfire, I don’t know…•
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#borrowedtimesstudio #handmade #typegang #handlettering #letteringdaily #typography #goodtype #thedailytype #signpainting #signpainter #portlandart #portlandartist
Where does time go? The past is gone. The future is an idea. The present moment seems pretty real but I don’t trust my own judgment much anymore. Is this all just a momentary hallucination between what was and what is? How would we even be able to tell the difference between reality and a dream? It’s as if the dream has gone on for so long that our consciousness has started to replay bits and pieces of a life that is has slipped away without knowing it. The dream is now more real than the existence it was based on.
We noticed him sitting to our left stabbing a pen into a piece of paper. He was a short Asian fellow we called Bad Will Hunting. He’d been on the streets for so long he’d let the speed convince him he was a genius. Occasionally you’d see entire walls covered in mathematical equations overnight. They were complete gibberish.•
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As we drank tequila and discussed bodily fluids he pounded away at some invisible evil. The neighborhood had become an open air insane asylum. It was so normal that the deranged were completely integrated into your daily life. We laughed like hyenas, sucked back cheap booze and kept one eye on Will for safeties sake.•
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Just then the petite bartender emerged to refill or beers. Will sprang up with the devil in his eyes and charged at her with the pen. He roared his way directly into a stiff arm from a confused 6’3” regular. There was kindness in the assault. We meant this little demon no harm. But out here you occasionally had to defend yourself.•
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He landed on the ground by my feet and spring up like trained fighter. He grabbed my glass with all the fury of a possessed soul. I could see his plan in his eyes. As he drew back to smash it in my face I calmly soaked him in pepper spray. I never left the house without it. Not in this zoo.•
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It took a minute for him to realize the assault was over. The mace set snd the tears began to flow. He blindly walked around the corner to gather himself. We went right back to the prior conversation without skipping a beat.•
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The sun was setting in a bright orange, apocalyptic glow at the distant end of the street. Bad Will Hunting came back around the corner completely nude and pouring phlegm from his face. Tears, snot, and sweat mixed together to make the silhouette of a melting human. He looked up the road directly at some God that had let him down long ago. He was getting even with a cruel universe one violent outburst at a time.•
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Nothing works out like the movies. The equations rarely work out. The snarky, intelligent lines never come when you need them. Although, I could tell that if he wasn’t currently drowning in his own mess he’d look me dead in the eye and say “How do ya like them apples?”
Slowly chipping away at Caleb’s sleeve yesterday. It feels great to only have one thing to do these days. I’ll be filling up my October schedule for tattooing soon. Black and grey realism, lettering tattoos, and whatever else you can think up. More animals, florals, mandalas, nature inspired themes, and psychedelic skulls emitting an if the above. Fall is coming and it’s a great time to get tattooed. DM me or fill out a consultation request on my website. My email is borrowedtimes1980@gmail.com and my books are always open.•
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#portlandtattooer #borrowedtimesstudio #portlandoregon #pdxart #pdxartist #tattooing #tattooartist #blackandgreyrealism #letteringtattoo #scripttattoo
Back to work after a few days in Seattle. What a great experience I had. Thanks to @witchinghourtattoo for the invite. I’ll be booking the rest of September and October soon. Then I’ll be heading to @hamiltonwoodtype with @bijoutype in November to be a guest tattoo artist at their yearly function. I’ll be going through Chicago and then on to Michigan to see some family and tattoo a little there as well. DM or email me with any questions or to toss around some tattoo ideas.•
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#borrowedtimesstudio #handlettering #blackandgreyrealism #tattooing #seattle #Portland #chicago #milwaukee #michigan #signpainter #signpainting #muralist #alwayshandpaint #letteringartist
Came up to Seattle to visit the @seattletattooexpo and see my friends from @witchinghourtattoo . Here’s 24 hours of just being a tourist. I never come to Seattle just to be here. There’s always an agenda and I never stop long enough to appreciate how beautiful this place is.
I wanted to extend a huge thank you to everyone who showed up for the first annual Writer’s Block lettering exhibition. From the participants to all of my friends who showed up. I want you to know how much I appreciate you.•
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It was just an idea I had 5 years ago, sitting in a tiny shop on Foster Road called @shopidlehandspdx . The pandemic happened, I got into tattooing, and the dream faded into the background. If it wasn’t for finding my way over to @witchinghourtattoo I don’t think it would’ve ever become a reality. Also, another very big thank you to Jason @_hillbase_ for putting in so much effort to document the event and also create this reel.•
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This time around it was way more successful than I had even hoped. I was quite blown away actually. Between the artists and the crowd I got to meet some of my favorite artists from all over the place. It was certainly a humbling and overwhelming experience to say the very least.•
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I’ll be doing the same thing again next year so look forward to another big lineup. I’m excited to do it again but with some more experience and knowledge under my belt. For now it’s time to get back to tattooing.•
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Thanks to everyone a million times over.
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#borrowedtimesstudio #handmade #handletter #signpainters #signpainting #portlandsignpainting #lettering #murals #grafitti #tattooing #portlandtattooers #pdxart #pdxart #alwayshandpaint #ioafs
I’m just getting back to everybody after the big show @witchinghourtattoo . Thank you so much for everything. My correspondence has been lacking leading up to late summer. I’m almost booked into mid September. If we’ve talked and I haven’t contacted you, please email or DM me again and I’ll get you on the books soon.
It’s been an exciting summer.
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#borrowedtimesstudio #handlettering #blackandgreyrealism #blackandgrey #blackandgreytattoo #portlandtattooer #signpainter #signpainting #pdxart #pdxsrtist #portland #letterartist
I’ve been obsessing over this for 2 months. It’s been a whole lot of work. Come by and say hello tonight. Enjoy some music, letters, a couple beverages, and maybe make a new friend. @witchinghourtattoo from 4-9. After tonight I’ll be hiding for about a month.
Making some quicky A-Frames for the show this Friday. It’s all coming together. It feels like there’s smoke coming out of my ears…•
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#borrowedtimesstudio #handlettering #signpainter #signpainting #portlandsignpainter #signage #murals #tattoos #blackandgreytattooing #pdxart #pdxartist
🚨WRITER’S BLOCK 2025🚨. This Friday from 4-9 @witchinghourtattoo . Come celebrate lettering of all kinds with the artists behind the signs, murals, fonts, burners, and tattoos that you love. Hip-Hop and Soul themed soundtrack with the always wonderful @forestavintage serving beverages. We’ll have @united_snakes_press and @thegetfucked selling so@e fun stuff out from as well.•
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Don’t miss this event!•
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#borrowedtimesstudio #handlettering #letteringdaily #typography #typespire #goodtype #signpainting #portlandsignpainter #typography #portland #pdx #goodtypetuesday
Ever had a dream you couldn’t wake up from? Or even a dream that you did wake up from but couldn’t convince yourself it wasn’t real? How are we sure this thing we’re calling reality isn’t one of those moments?•
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There’s this over-emphasis in our culture on arriving. The house, the job, the vacation… how will you know when you get to the point you’ve decided happiness exists at?•
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This is not to say, simply, stop worrying and just be happy. That’s ignorant. There’s a huge divide between the pain of living and our need to project our idea of “happiness” on some obscure moment down the line. We’re all losing friends and family slowly until one day we too will drift off into some other plane of existence.•
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That’s not the main obstacle to finding some peace in the chaotic mess of life. It’s our inability to enjoy what’s right in front of us. Existing in the moment is one of the hardest things a person can do.•
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We all dream of endless summer days without cell phones glued to our hands demanding our attention. It’s not a day on vacation you need to work for all year long. It’s a moment in your backyard watching a cat pounce on flies. It’s all around you. The real tragedy isn’t that we’re all fading away in front of our own eyes. It’s our inability to enjoy the present moment. This failure is wrapped around our head like a wet towel.•
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Don’t try to solve the unsolvable. You can’t stop death. But you can wait patiently with a smile on your face while it’s still too busy to find you.
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#borrowedtimestudio #handlettering #signage #signpainting #portlandsignpainting #alwayshandpaint #murals #muralist #portland #typography #processvideo #lettering #letteringartist
Less than 1 week away @witchinghourtattoo will be hosting the Writer’s Block Group Lettering Exhibition that I’ve painstakingly curated over the last 2 months. Here is a complete and revised list of the participants. I’m extremely proud and grateful to everyone involved. Don’t miss this event.•
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Getting to see graffiti, sign painting, neon signs, oil painting, expert typographers, and tattooers all under one roof is something special. This may actually be the first show if it’s kind. But it certainly won’t be the last.•
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I’ve highlighted 8 more artists below and in the following slides:
1.) @borrowed_times_pdx
2.) @que.sera8
3.) @vk.signs
4.) @merlotism
5.) @inkstress
6.) @allakses
7.) @kan_goe
8.) @lil_yard_queen
This is one of my letter paintings that will be hanging in the first annual Writer’s Block Group lettering exhibition. I’ve curated a showing of over 35 lettering artists that will be held on August 1st from 4-9 @witchinghourtattoo on SE Hawthorne blvd and 20th. Come have a beer with us and talk about letters.•
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#borrowedtimesstudio #handmade #handlettering #signpainting #signpainter #portlandsignpainter #letteringart #letteringdaily #typography #typespire #font #portland #tattooing #letteringtattoos
Ten more artists from the upcoming show I curated. Work has been pouring in all week as I’m finishing the mural on the facade. I couldn’t feel luckier to be showing art alongside these folks. Come by our exhibition to see lettering from sign painters, graffiti writers, typographers, sculptors, and tattooers. August 1st from 4-9. 1960 SE Hawthorne Suite 102 @witchinghourtattoo . •
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Slides include:
1.) @peterpaidnyc
2.) @plasticbirdie
3.) @inknife_bob
4.) @heysus94
5.) @kirsten.m.bauer
6.) @artony_tattoo
7.) @san_ferncisco_studio
8.) @theearwig22
9.) @ashtonallentattoo
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#borrowedtimesstudio #handlettering #typography #typematters #goodtype #signpainting #portlandsignpainter #graffiti #murals #letteringartist #letters #pdxart #pdxartist #portlandoregon
My last corporate job was for a multinational corporation that controlled the concession rights for numerous national parks. If you wanted to live in paradise Delaware North Corporation aka DNC was gonna be your daddy.•
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They were our landlord and our boss. We were hunted by a security guard named Cowboy who actually wore a leather duster. He’d bust you for weed and get a higher scale of housing for it. You’d get a federal charge and lose your job as well as your tent cabin and all of your friends.•
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The head of housing was a Jaba the Hut type of character who had a harem of young Thai women. He had the best housing possible. Which was still only the equivalent to a hotel room somewhere outside of Bakersfield.•
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But we lived beneath waterfalls and granite walls that were so spectacular it felt like a religious pilgrimage to return each summer. Now that I know I’m not stuck I appreciate it more everyday. The stories and the characters are near and dear to my heart.•
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The bad part once again turned into the good part with just a little distance. That was almost 12 years ago now. I’m older and have few regrets. I don’t have a boat or even a garage to store one in. But I have stories… and a whole lot of great friends.•
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#borrowedtimesstudio #tattooing #tattoos #murals #signpainting #signage #portland #blackandgreytattooing #typography #typespire #goodtype #handlettering #pdx #pdxartist #pdxtattooartist
It’s a great to to live on the West Coast. I’ll be outside all day waiting for artists to deliver their work to the gallery for Writer’s Block 2025. Cool breeze, @officialsugafreethapimp on the head phones, spray paint on my clothes… shit, might even get myself a burrito later.•
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#borrowedtimesstudio #handlettering #typography #typespire #goodtype #signpainting #graffiti #letteringdaily #portlandartist #tattoo #tattooer #blackandgreytattooing #artnouveaustyle
I’ll be showing of this big ol’ vintage Jesus plaque entitled Dude, that’s not what I meant in a couple weeks. We’ll be at the Writer’s Block art show @witchinghourtattoo on August 1st. Try to resurrect yourself from a wild summer and come say hi…. See what I did there?•
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We’ll be showing work from over 35 artists from around the west coast and as far away as Germany and NYC. Graffiti writers, sign painters, typographers, tattooers, and graphic artists. There will be something for everyone. •
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#borrowedtimesstudio #handmade #handlettered #handlettering #typography #goodtype #tattoo #letteringtattoo #portland #grafitti #muralist #signpainter #pdxevents #pdx
Resilient- (of a person or animal) able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.•
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#borrowedtimesstudio #handlettering #tattoo #tattooartist #letteringdaily #typography #typespire #goodtype #handmadefont #signpainter #signpainting #type #thedailytype #ligaturecollective
I had a great time finishing up Trevor’s first tattoo the other day. If anyone is looking to do some black and grey realism, landscapes, florals, lettering, or any combination just let me know. I’m booking up August and September currently. DM me direct fill out a form on my website.•
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#borrowedtimesstudio #blackandgrey #blackandgreyrealism #tattoo #landscapetattoo #portlandtattooartist #pdxtattooer #tattooing #oregon #portland
Here’s the final list of artists for Writer’s Block Group Lettering Exhibition 2025. I’m super proud of this lineup and will continue to highlight the individual artists involved over the coming weeks.
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I’d like to thank everyone involved as well as @witchinghourtattoo for providing the perfect venue. Please come see us on Friday August 1st from 4-9. We’ll be celebrating letters in as many different styles and art forms as possible.•
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These slides contain just 8 of the 35 talented artists whose work will be gracing our walls.•
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1.) @kkade_schwarzmaler
2.) @bijoutype
3.) @welldonesigns
4.) @ksra_ksra
5.) @justinriede
6.) @electric.spaghetti.neon
7.) @eddiexcaine
8.) @allgoodsigns
Growth doesn’t announce itself…•
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It hasn’t been easy has it? The last decade has been draining and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Killer robots are no longer just an idea on late night television. They’re currently being employed by a half dozen different countries. Genocide is live streamed on pocket sized televisions.•
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All the while we have to dance like monkeys for the very same screens that display the daily horror show that is humanity. Wake up they say. But nightmares don’t work like that.•
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The tragedy of it all is that we’re doomed to lose ourselves in this chaos. Hyper focusing on a million conflicts thousands of miles away leaves you feeling hollow. No energy to enjoy a good sunset without guilt or to simply exist without the weight of the world on your shoulders.•
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But still you’ve made it this far. That’s gotta be enough some days. Take a second every now and then and look at how far you’ve come. How many lives have you lived? How many battles have you survived? It’s not for nothing that you’re even upright these days. If that’s not something to be proud of then I don’t know what is.
🚨BIG NEWS🚨 I’ve been making artwork for a living in Portland, Oregon for over a decade now. It’s all been built on a dream. Through hard work, determination, networking, and some plain ol’ good luck that dream has actually come true. Now it’s finally time for me to give back to an art community that has inspired, supported, and challenged me.•
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I’m excited to announce the opening of WRITER’S BLOCK group lettering exhibition on August 1st from 4-9. I’ve been quietly working with my pals @witchinghourtattoo to curate a 30+ person art show that focuses on typography in all of its many facets. From the abstraction of Graffiti and sculpture to the precise functionality of Sign Painting and type design. This show will host artists from Portland, Seattle, New York, and as far away as Germany. I could ramble on and on about how stoked I am but I’d rather let the lineup below speak for itself….
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Sign Painters:•
Bob Hansen - @inknife_bob
Bryan Yonki - @welldonesigns
Kirsten Bauer - @kirsten.m.bauer
Peter Paid - @peterpaidnyc
Alina Radetsky - @allgoodsigns
Fernando Garcia - @san_ferncisco_studio
Nigel Barnes - @electric.spaghetti.neon
Vladimir Kovalik - @vk.signs
Travis Wheeler - @borrowed_times_pdx
Justin Riede- @justinriede
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Graffiti Writers-
KKADE - @kkade_schwarzmaler
KANGO - @kan_goe
KSRA - @ksra_ksra
MISS MERLOT - @merlotism
EKOSE - @theearwig22
BOGUS - @rattlecans
AKSESONE - @allakses
CASETWELVE - @casetwelve
HEYSUS - @heysus94
Jeremy Nichols - @plasticbirdie
RONG - @opasit
FRESH - @freshiscool
McTools - @mctools
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Designers-
Dan Rhatigan - @bijoutype
Kyle Letendre - @heykyle
Stephen Pies - @harmonioustypeco
Alia Bright - @alia_bright
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Tattooers-
Israel G - @israelg_tattoo
Manuel Villagran - @que.sera8
Ashton Allen - @ashtonallentattoo
Luke Ruben - @luke_reuben
Rachel Gilbert - @inkstress
Eddie Caine - @eddiexcaine
Tony Ruiz- @artony_tattoo
Making a living off of your art is more than just difficult. It’s a battle through and through. Forgot about imposter syndrome. If you’re delusional enough to ignore that feeling you’ll be faced with countless obstacles. Taxes, recessions, out of range healthcare premiums, lack of retirement unless you “make it big.” I’m not even sure what that means anymore.•
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If you’re able to do it for long enough the only real thing keeping you from quitting some days are memories of old bosses. You become unable to bend the knee to corporate meetings or middle management turds. Then you’re lost. No turning back once you’ve tasted the freedom. What no one will tell you is that time is running out and eventually you’ll get stuck with the dream. Too old to turn back and too free to put the shackles back around your ankles.•
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My advice is to not get lost in the idea that there’s a utopia on the other side of self employment. This lifestyle isn’t for the sane and especially not the faint of heart. Imposter syndrome is the least of your worries.•
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I make signs, murals, and tattoos for a living. Have done so for over a decade. I’ve almost lost it all, including my mind, numerous times. But here I am… some perverse form of freedom on the other side of capitalist decline. I’ll never own a yacht but I’ll never have to wear another name tag again. For that so feel incredibly lucky.•
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#signpainting #typography #letteringart #portlandsignpainting #instaart #instagood #tattooing #portlandtattooer #pdxartist #alwayshandpaint #goodtype #thedailytype
