HOME | folklife

Welcome

ARTISTS

ALBIE ROCK

art maker, baker, storyteller, smartypants

-Tattooing for over 20 years, Albie Rock has spanned an entire adult lifetime creating art and tattoos. Ampersand Tattoo is where the magic is made.

- Real art, custom tattooing, sculpting, crafting, printmaking, painting, reading, writing, and generally participating in creative pursuits...all of that, and probably other stuff, too.

-AMPERSAND TATTOO for MORE of all the good things, and less of the weak sauce.

Too much is the right amount.

CRABTREE aka Crimbo Slice aka Milky Boi

-mascot

Crabtree is a little milk man. He likes sleeping, laying down during walks, and chewing on anything that fits in his mouth.

Artists

Gallery

GALLERY

Y’like dags?
Hey there, it’s been a minute, or a month and a half, depending on how you measure time.
I’m not a fan of these dark ages, long nights, hard times, cold temps, or slow days.
I am a fan of dogs. And I’m also a fan of the folks who got these tattoos.
I almost never take pictures; and for the most part, when I do take pictures, I almost never take *good* pictures. I keep all the mojo swirling into the process, and leave none for documenting it. It’s fiiiiiiine. Right?
Anyway, December is dumb, being dark all the time is reeeeealllll dumb, holidays are half-dumb, and your favorite griping grumplestiltskin, which is obviously me, is comparatively brilliant. The bar is abysmally low, but a win is a win at any height.
How about we get together in 2025 and make it about a billion times better with some fresh tattoo action, and competent communication, and heaps of hilarity to brighten the damned dark dark darkness of these long winter months?
I’m ready when you are-
email ampersandtattoo@gmail.com
-
Thanks a bunch 💚💛

HAPPY HALLOWE’EN!🎃🧡🖤🎃🖤🧡🎃
You know what’s up- the yearly super-roro-bobotron costume activation is my favorite thing about today…sure, I’m making treats, and eating candy, and for SURE not ruining a perfect warm-weather fall day by doing tattoos. Nope. Instead it’s another form of making; and it’s all Albie art, in full effect, all day.
Two masks! All the armor! Three(!!!)blasters!
Big shoutouts to Carlos and Hannah for taking the ride up to the stone circle on the best road for fall freshness, and to the homie for taking some decent pictures. I should get him to photograph my tattoos for me.
Anyway, November is dumb as hell- come get some tattoos and at least make it a little better for us both.
Tricks & Treats, Ghouls & Goblins, etc etc etc.
HAPPY HALLOWE’EN
🎃🧡🖤🧡🎃

I basically forgot to record the last two months. I guess I was too busy thinking about other stuff, and was even busier doing even other-er stuff, and I got so involved in all of that that it slipped my mind that I’m also supposed to to play bad photographer at work. It’s crazy to think that documenting my days was crazy important to me for so long, and these days I just want to have a good day doing good work on good people, or at least expensive work on bad people, if that’s the only alternative.
Anyway, twenty five years ago, today, I did my first tattoo. Shoutouts and big-ups to all of you for making that possible. I’m grateful for the time I have been given.

SEVEN YEARS.
National Ampersand Day.
Today is the day.
Thanks to everybody who made it possible: thanks to the real ones & the fake ones & the day ones & the just-got-here’s; the good ones & bad ones & ugly ones; the big-brained smarties & the barely literate dummies; the youngsters & old-timers & first timers & long-timers & short-timers & big-timers; the ironclad never-flinchers & the pump-up jumpin’ freaker-outers; the showboats & one-uppers & jealous jerks & super-supportive encouragers; the weirdies & the regular-a$$ basic b!tches; the bros & the dudes & the creatures & all my pals & friends.
I appreciate all the time I have been given, & I appreciate all of you who spanned some of that time with me.
I feel a lot older, a lot wiser, my head is cold because I feel a lot balder, but most of all, I feel like doing some tattoos.
You know how to get in touch:
ampersandtattoo@gmail.com
thanks
Xoxo

Holy Sh!t!
August blasted right past me.
I did as many tattoos as I could fit, and took a picture of a tiny fraction of those, and of that tiny fraction an even teenier and tinier percent came out relatively in focus, and now I’m sharing a couple of those with you.
I’m ready to do more tattoos, always, and more than willing to find a place to fit you in. If that sounds nice, you should contact me:
ampersandtattoo@gmail.com.
If you walk in, you’re definitely walking out empty handed,
BUT,
if you send an email, we’ll make the magic materialize together.
Thanks to all the smart, sophisticated, and lovely people who came through this month; and thanks to the small number of creepy creepers who walked in and reminded me how lucky I am not to entertain that noise.
Xo
A

Oh, hey there.
Bill came in today and got this guy on his leg.
It’s based on a painting I did some kind of forever ago; he saw it last time, liked it, remembered it, and made an appointment to get it. Very cool moves by Bill, I’ll tell you what… and I think it came out pretty cool, too.
You guys aren’t going to believe me when I tell you this, but, you too can totally get unique and interesting tattoos. It’s allowed. It’s encouraged, even.
Or you can get what you want-that sweet sweet whatever that you’ve seen reproduced so many times that it MUST be good. I’m down for whatever. Every day is tattoo day, even when it isn’t cool color space dead guy day.
As always, I’ll find time for you somewhere, but not if you call. Please, for both our sakes, email:
ampersandtattoo@gmail.com
and we’ll make some kind of magic happen.
Thanks ever so much.

Holy sh!t- we’re past the ides of July, and here I am, recording so very very little of my days. It’s almost as if I’m too busy living my best life to stop and document what happening.
(That’s not the case, btw. Although I am living my way through each day as hard as I can)
Anyway, color tattoos still happen around here. Less often than black and grey flowers, but that’s the nature of the beast in the sour, dour, dirty (and diabolically hot) north these days.
.
I can tattoo you if you want-
Email the shop at:
ampersandtattoo@gmail.com
That’s the only way to interact, with me, anyway.
I can fit in smaller tattoos at the end of the day, sometimes.

Hey there! Here’s a whole bunch of tattoos-
y’know, because that’s the thing that I do over here.
Black and grey most days, drawn on more than half the time, zapped up and sent off into the wide world of these small towns that overlap and intersect with each other. That’s pretty cool.
If you would like to get a tattoo, then there’s one way, and one way only, to get in on the big action:
Email ampersandtattoo@gmail.com
I talk enough every freaking day, I don’t need to talk on the phone, too. So email the studio, and we’ll figure out how to make some magic happen. Thanks a whole bunch.

COCKATRICE O’NEAL!
I’ve been tattooing John forever. His request every time is: ‘whatever you want, just do what you do’.
…And then I do that.
So, here’s a green heron serpent that lives in a demon mask, doing open mic petrifaction for the people. Robot headphones? Too many eyes? Of course! He’s not a loser, man. C’mon.
You might need a weird little guy on you, or maybe just some regular ordinary stuff, and the good news is- I got you either way.
There’s only one way to get in touch and make that happen:
Email: ampersandtattoo@gmail.com
.
.
Anyway, I’ve now posted three separate times this month. That could be a record. I don’t wanna jinx it, but I *might* even keep that up. Who knows? It’s summer, man. I could just as easily eat too much pizza and be sweaty, instead.

ADVENTURE BIRD!!
Look at this chonky explorer in his sweet little hat and fresh banana. He’s got a sword and some treats and a secret message container on one of his feet.
Shoutouts to Carlos for coming correct and getting this smiley little dude. Big ups to the cool kids getting cool stuff.
If you would also like to get some sweet tattz (coolness optional), you gotta get at me the only way I can ever get got at:
Email: ampersandtattoo@gmail.com
We’ll get you sorted proper.
Thanks a whole bunch!

WEIRDIES AND COOL LITTLE DUDES!!
So here’s the thing: This is the stuff that I looooooove to tattoo. We got us a scoundrel, a globby green gettter, gettin’ a golden guy, and a dirty birdman just sorta hanging out.
The homie Dylan just let me run with it, and this is where we ended up. I’m really lucky that there are folks out there who want this stuff.
I know it’s not what’s hot in the north country, but it’s essentially a vital dose of colorful creativity before resuming the regular schedule of just doing my job.
I would love to tattoo you.
I would also lose my whole sh!t in the best way to fire up some weird little dudes, too.
Failing that, we can totally make some regular-a$$ tattz for you just as easily.
You know how to get ahold of me:
ampersandtattoo@gmail.com
.
I appreciate you

I’m very lucky to have cool friends with cool ideas and common interests. 💀🐈
I met Jesse in 2020, while the world was closed down and human connections were mostly digital. In the intervening years, he’s proven to be a genuinely good dude, and a competent party member in D&D. Plus, he rode all the way up from Philly and got a rad tattoo.
I’m really grateful for the good times we had this weekend.
I’m also lucky for my longtime homies from the olden days, who can facilitate these sorts of fun escapes. Shoutouts to my main man Michael Holmes, the longest concurrent friendship I have managed to maintain, with a broski who is totally untattooed at that!
.
.
As always, if you’d like some tattoo magic, email:
ampersandtattoo@gmail.com
It’s literally the only way, even if you know my phone number by heart.

DUDE TATTZ!
Hey there, here’s some tattoos that I made on some dudes.
First, we got a drawn on Nyarlothotep, part of an ongoing eldritch cosmic horror sleeve;
Then we got a throwback for the nineties gamers, with Parasite Eve;
That’s next to an Ampersand skull- it’s kind of always the best when folks get the & stamped on ‘em. I appreciate that sh!t SO much;
And last, the homie W.D. got a two-weapon fighting scoundrel started on his stomach.
.
I have midweek appointments available sooner than later. If you shoot an email over to ampersandtattoo@gmail.com, we can probably find you some time… unless you’re terrible. You can even have a terrible idea, as long as you’re not so bad.
Don’t call the shop. That’s rookie behavior, and you gotta do better. I’m never answering that phone. Ever.

Anthony is a friend of mine, and a really solid dude. He’s also tougher than a coffin nail. Here’s a great big hurtie front piece we made. He gets cool tattoos…I would still like him if he got less cool tattoos, but fortunately I don’t have to be burdened with that kind of thing.
.
If you want some tattoos, and you’re free ANY other day ever besides the weekend, let me know and we’ll make it happen.
Ha.
Also, just a reminder, don’t call. For real. I hate phones, I hate phone calls, I hate talking on the phone, and I don’t check messages that are voicemails.
However, if you send me an email, and I’ll get back to you with a sweet and savory response sooner than you think:
ampersandtattoo@gmail.com
.
Thanks a whole bunch.

Happy St. Patrick times!☘️☘️☘️
I’ll eat a potato, and possibly a wedge of grilled cabbage- but that’s where I draw the line.
🇮🇪🥔🌈🍀
Today is Ian’s berfday. The other day, I finished this pretty freaking big sh!tpoke (that’s great blue heron to you city folks) on his substantial and masculine hock of a thigh.
Which brings me back to four years ago, when I canceled his appointment because the whole world turned off for a few months. I didn’t realize that was also the start of working alone forever. I’ve tattooed him, and everyone else, a whole bunch since then, but slowly as the days turn to weeks turn to months turn to years I’ve become a genuine weird recluse.
So I’m lucky, rainbow magic pot of gold style, that I’m still able to interact with actual human beings, albeit transactionally, because otherwise, I worry I’d fully become a true hermit stump creature.
Anyway, my eyes aren’t smiling, but my big fat blarney-blasting mouth is, and for now, I’m leaving the house every dang day to do some tat-freaking-toos on yous.
Last week, I took a few pictures, poorly, and here they are.
Flowers and clouds and flowers, covering scars, adding to existing work, and telling stories the entire time.
Lot of marky-marker add-ons and embellishments, just so I could take shiny photos anyway.
.
ANYway, if you somehow read all that, and would like to schedule an appointment- there is only one way to do it;
EMAIL ampersandtattoo@gmail.com
.
Thanks a whole bunch.
Xoxoxo

Three posts on the same day is a sure-fire way to vanish into obscurity!!!
That’s probably inevitable, but in the meantime, I still just be up in here doing tattoos, talking terrible photos of them on rare occasions, and telling stories that examine the human condition inside my avocado-colored little nest.
These folks were all pretty awesome. I had second generation clients, decades long repeat collectors, first timers, big timers, one-uppers, clout rejectors, and dweeb-ass nerds all come through.
Anyway, I hope you check this stuff out, and I double-hope you like it. I may be the most my-own-business-minding-ass-havin’-ass veteran tattooer you know, but I still keep space open for you to get in where you fit it in, so as always, DON’T call the studio or I’ll hate you for eternity, but please feel free to email:
ampersandtattoo@gmail.com
Thanks a whole bunch.

Leap Day should be a free crime day, or something equally wild. Today, though, it’s just post some stuff, sequentially, back to back to back day.
Here’s a few tattoos I did at some point in the last four months.
<<swipe>> for a peek, or don’t, I’m not the boss of you.

If you want a little something from a tattoo studio that I assure you IS actually open, despite the prolonged media silence, email:
ampersandtattoo@gmail.com
and I’ll see what fits where and when.

Oh man! Remember that time that four whole entire months passed, and I was super busy just being a recluse, shut away from the world, occasionally spotted in the wild (a.k.a. the grocery store)? Yeah. It was dreamy.
But the steak is over. Today is Leap Day. A real limited edition collector’s item on the calendar, and although it has historically not been the vibe, I was busy being a real smoochie cutie all damned day today, and that’s some kind of special …in a good way.
.
Here’s a few tattoos I did.
Everybody who got them was a pure delight. That’s real. I consider myself lucky to be tucked away, all by my lonely, and still be able to do this thing on folks who want to wear it. That’s pretty neat.
If you want in on some happy hermit hottness, email:
ampersandtattoo@gmail.com
and maybe there’s a space for something cool, or uncool, or meaningful (ranked in order of personal interest), in our future together.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!
Hearts & skulls. C’mon. That’s what’s it all about.
<<<swipe>>> to see seven lucky images of lovey-dovey heart attacking action.
I know, I knowwwww; you’d think there’d be tattoos…but you’d be wrong.
As always, I used weird cardboard, old, cheap, and or busted brushes, whatever paint was around, and did the thing.
This is what I DO in February. Smoochie cutie Albie Art is just what I needed.
I promise, I’ll post some more stuff from the last however many months of actual work; but for today, I heart all this stuff, and I hope you do too.

TRICKY TREATIN’!
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
Halloween is the best.
Some folks practice relevant and applicable art-making: drawing and inking prompts all month- and that’s so awesome. And not how my brain works, at all.
Me? I spent the first chunk of the month making sandwiches, and the last ten days freaking out and making robot parts. Prop-tober, is what I’m all about.
I hope you all have a great day, and remember to brush your teeth later.
Also, No-vember is a THE dumbest month, so come get a tattoo, and talk about deep lore and character creation with me. I love that sh!t.
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

Here’s a bunch of tattoos.
Like, ten or eleven, all in a row, in no particular order.
They were fun, and the clients were each and every one a delight to tattoo. *Most* of you are, honestly. I’m lucky in that regard.
I just marked two dozen years of tattooing. That’s a lot. In between making extra-sexy vegan food, making weird little guys, writing down acres of TTRPG ideas, and working on my Hallowe’en costume, I’m still tattooing all the damned time, since all the rest of it is done for passion and not profit. I’ve been tattooing for more than half my life. How bananas is that? It’s humbling to be encouraged to be creative (sometimes) as your career, instead of doing some kind of regular useful real-world job. Just as often, though, it’s humbling in a way that hurts your feelings a little. Or a lot. At any rate, it’s the only job that made sense, even back when I didn’t know how lucky I was or how to really appreciate it.
These days I’m grateful for all of it.

ANYway, make an appointment, and we can make something cool happen:
ampersandtattoo@gmail.com

.pro-gallery-wix-wrapper {display: block !important;} .pro-gallery-wix-wrapper .gallery-item-container {opacity: 1 !important; display: block !important;}

Follow us on Instagram

@ampersandtattoo

ADDRESS

2888 White Mountain Highway

North Conway, NH

03860

APPOINTMENT ONLY

NO WALK INS

10:45 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.

appointments by email only

We're OPEN when we're scheduled,

and SHUT when we're not.

Contact

Ampersand Tattoo

&

Art Gallery

2888 White Mountain Highway

North Conway, NH 03860 (603) 356-0866

The best way to make an appointment is to email ampersandtattoo@gmail.com

Please include WHAT you are looking to get tattooed (with reference images if you've got them), a rough SIZE estimate, in inches or sports balls or some other similar measure, WHERE it's going on your body, and any other information that will help us determine how much time you will need.

We respond to emails in the order that we get them, so your patience is greatly appreciated.

ARTISTS

ALBIE ROCK

art maker, baker, storyteller, smartypants

CRABTREE aka Crimbo Slice aka Milky Boi

-mascot

GALLERY

Follow us on Instagram

ADDRESS

APPOINTMENT ONLY

NO WALK INS

ARTISTS

ALBIE ROCK

art maker, baker, storyteller, smartypants

CRABTREE aka Crimbo Slice aka Milky Boi

-mascot

​

GALLERY

​

Follow us on Instagram

ADDRESS

APPOINTMENT ONLY

NO WALK INS