Cheyenne Sawyer

In 1979, five years after his birth, Cheyenne Sawyer met Georgia O’Keefe, attended an Eagles concert, and lost a Magic Johnson jersey when the Rio Grande flooded and destroyed the bridge in his hometown of Embudo, NM. In the wind-blown landscape of the American West, Cheyenne grew up drawing, skateboarding, and stealing spraypaint and cigarettes from Woolworths. He got his first pair of checkered Vans shoes in 1983 and has been tattooing since 1993. He learned the trade by sheer force of will, working at various shops in Portland including Tigerlily Tattoo and Oddball Studios before settling at Atlas in 2009. In addition to tattooing, Cheyenne creates prints, drawings, and paintings, which he exhibits in art galleries nationwide. He has a beautiful wife and two daughters, a full head of thick black hair, and sometimes wears his purple pants.