Tattoo studio celebrates art on and off the body

Mar 10, 2023

The Dusk Till Dawn tattoo studio, which opened at 3065 Cranberry Highway in January, offers more than just body art.

Between a rotating art gallery, live music and freestyle painting events, owner Liz Chasse wants the studio to be a “creative community space” for the people of Wareham.

Since opening, Chasse has worked to customize the space by painting designs on the walls.

Customers who walk into the studio are immediately greeted by her artwork. 

“It's a little bit different from the classic skull and dagger,” Chasse said, referring to the traditional tattoo parlor aesthetic. “It's really peaceful and colorful. Calming but creative.”

Chasse’s paintings, and those of a rotating group of local artists including Jessie Nickerson, Chris O’Dell Ferguson and Melissa Elsasser-Holmes, can be seen at Dusk Till Dawn.

“The artists can decorate their own wall however they want,” Chasse said.

Chasse prefers realistic tattoos, but she welcomes any art style in her gallery, which changes every six months.

Art, whether it be on a canvas or on a bicep, has always been a part of her life. 

 

“As a kid I used to just draw on my legs with Sharpie [markers],” she said. “My parents were really nice in the fact that they let me paint all over my walls.”

Chasse began her artistic journey on canvas, using acrylic and oil paints, but she isn’t afraid of experimenting with different art forms. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she started a business making custom-painted sneakers.

Eventually, she translated her skills into tattoo art, taking inspiration from other artists she met.

Creating a tattoo, Chasse said, is different from the freedom of painting on a canvas.

 

“With tattooing, you're working with a person, so this person is going to be wearing this art forever,” she said. “Of course you want to make it something they're going to love, and something that fits their style.”

Chasse has worked for over 10 tattoo parlors in locations as diverse as Germany, Denmark and Hawaii.

“I was able to learn from different cultures and different styles all over the place,” she said. “I think that's helped me a lot.”

From Dusk Till Dawn will hold its first nighttime painting event on Thursday, March 16 at 8 p.m.

“People are curious to see what's on the inside,” Chasse said. “It's been nice because a lot of people have come through to check it out.”