Ryan Ashley Biography, Tattoos, Age, Height and Other Facts You Must Know 

Ryan Ashley is a Grammy-worthy artist that has taken the art of tattooing to a whole new level of ingenuity. The tattoo artist practices only black and grey tattooing and has decked out her body with enough works of art to answer any potential client’s question as to her ability.

She became known after she participated in Paramount Network’s reality television tattoo competition Ink Master: Angels. The show is a spin-off of the original Ink Master competition, where Ashley had previously contested in, bagging the title in its eighth season.

Ryan Ashley’s Biography, Age

Ryan Ashley Malarkey was born on April 29, 1987, in northeast Pennsylvania. Nothing is known about her before her tertiary education. From when she was a little girl, Ashley had always been in love with art. Years later she opted to pursue this dream in the world of fashion design.

Ryan Ashley enrolled into the Fashion Institute of Technology to study fashion design. She graduated in 2007, winning the Critic’s Choice award of her class. After graduation, she was hired by a private label clothing company where she worked as an artist and fashion designer until sometime in 2011.

Ryan had decided to continue her pursuit of art a little differently – as a tattoo artist. She moved back to her home State of Pennsylvania and took up an apprenticeship at a private tattoo studio, where she learned the ropes of the business and started working on her unique design style. She spent a year there.

Ashley has since then developed an entrepreneurial side to her tattooing talent. She owns her own private and appointment only tattoo studio in the city of Kingston, Pennsylvania. Ryan also co-owns an e-commerce platform where she sells some oddities merch items, from glass eyes and skulls to bath bombs, and tarot cards.

Ashley took part in the 8th installment of the Ink Masters tattoo artist competition in 2016 and came out tops. This made her the first female to win the competition since its inception. The next year, Ryan Ashley starred on Ink Masters: Angels, which was a spin-off of the original she had won in 2016. In the show, she toured the country with Gia Rose, Kelly Doty, and Nikki Simpson, all of whom were contestants with Ashley on Ink Masters.

On this spin-off show, Ryan and her former competitors traveled around the country and held competitions in different cities for upcoming and local tattoo artists pitting them against each other. It was designed such that the winner of the competition would get to face off with either Ashley or one of her friends. The Ink Masters: Angels also doubled as an avenue to recruit contestants for the subsequent season of the original Ink Masters competition. She continued her role as host of the spin-off show with her return to it for its second season in March 2018.

Ryan Ashley has also been on the cover of various body art publications like for the 2015 June/July issues of Inked Magazine and Freshly Inked.

Her Tattoos

The ink goddess has certainly done some elaborated ink works on many of her customers who are no doubt, eternally grateful, and probably refer more people to her. However, the single biggest testament to her genius-level artistry is herself. Ashley’s body is covered in her works. Among these tattoos, she also managed to incorporate many elements that are as diverse as they are beautiful. However, there are three elements that repeat themselves constantly throughout her body’s canvas: animals, traditional/religious symbols, and jewelry.

A quick inspection of her tattoos will reveal some very thought-provoking imagery that will certainly leave the observer wondering what inspired them. A few of her tats include:

  • a rat dressed as an Orthodox bishop
  • a bedazzled owl
  • a fox with some really fancy neckwear
  • a naked woman covered in jewelry
  • a retro pocket watch
  • the figures ‘1961’ and ‘1993’ on her knuckles, and much more.

Other facts you must know about Ryan Ashley

1. Ashley is an animal lover

This one is not really surprising given the sheer amount of animal tattoos on her skin. Ryan Ashley home in Pennsylvania is also home to two dogs that mean the world to her. Their names are Toronto and Casper.

2. She found time for love

With the way she dove head first into her career as a tattoo artist, and with the alarming number of clients, and competitions she has participated in, it is surprising that she has found time to put some romance in there somewhere. Ryan Ashley has a boyfriend whose name is Joshua Balz. They both live together in Pennsylvania.

3. Ashley is thankful for her time in fashion

Even though the ink goddess believes that she started her career later than most, she is thankful for everything the journey taught her. Most especially when it comes to her time as a fashionista. This is because, besides her one-year apprenticeship at a tattoo parlor, she has no other special training except her time at the fashion house. It in her apprentice time that she worked as an artist and spent hours freehand drawing, painting, sketching, designing and polishing her Photoshop skills.

4. She co-owns the oddities merch business with her boyfriend

Apparently, it isn’t just love and romance between Ashley and Joshua: they are lovers as well as business partners. Ashley and Joshua Balz started their Strange and Unusual Oddities parlor together and most of the items on display at the shop, in the beginning, were personal items that were of sentimental value to the couple. Ashley Ryan said this period in their life taught her the vital life lesson of letting go.

Ryan Ashley’s height and body measurements

For someone whose body is her most revered asset, there is no information – nothing reliable at least – available about her body statistics such as height, weight, and body size. It seems she guards this information jealously away from her fans and the general public. However, when she does reveal it, we will let you know.

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