Mike Dorsey

Mike Dorsey

Japanese Ukiyo-e visual language

Mike Dorsey is a tattooer and painter based in Cincinnati, Ohio, with a career in tattooing that began in 1989. His work is deeply rooted in the visual language of Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock prints — a fascination that took hold early, sparked by a chance encounter with Sandi Fellman's photography exhibition.

Over the decades, his paintings have evolved from tattoo design references into an independent body of work that weaves together historical imagery, contemporary symbolism, and personal narrative — always with tattooing as the ultimate horizon.