About Tanya

About Tanya Magdalena
“Tanya is that rare combination of Old-School Respect and New-School Talent.”
MaryJane Haake, Master tattooer

tanya multnomah fallstanya magdalena saftey

“I am 20 years clean and sober, working in many artistic mediums and disciplines. I have been tattooing full-time since 2005. Above the Pearl Tattoo was born in July 2007 and opened in September 2007.

My love affair with tattoos began in 1986, at the age of 14. I got my first tattoo in 1988. In 1994, I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Communications/Graphic and Publication Design from CSU Chico. After years of freelancing, I moved to Portland, Oregon. I landed a position as a Senior Graphic Designer at Xerox Corp. In 2003, after 15 years in the design field, I “lost my taste” for the corporate grind. I was ready to pursue my childhood dream of being a tattoo artist, which was not easy at the time. In 2005, I got my tattoo education/apprenticeship from my teacher and mentor, the infamous Rio DeGennaro, learning the art and craft of tattooing and the strictest tattooing and sanitation regulations in the world. Rio had been tattooing since 1962. Like his father before him, he worked down on the Pike in Long Beach, California, with Bert Grim, among others. After 50+ years of tattooing and a lifetime in the industry, he passed away in June 2014 at the age of 73. Rio’s legacy lives on in my heart and in every tattoo.”

Tanya Magdalena and Rio DeGennaro
Tanya Magdalena and Rio DeGennaro
photo by Ty Hitzemann

When I am not running a business and tattooing full-time, I love riding motorcycles, having toured the Western United States and Canada on my Harley-Davidson, and commute on my little Honda Rebel. I also love target shooting, archery, spending time with my significant other, gardening, taking classes, traveling, practicing the Zen Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and crafting all kinds of art and jewelry. I devote the majority of my time and passion to operating a successful tattoo business helping change people’s lives…which is the most rewarding work of all.

Tanya Magdalena on her Harley Softail Deluxegrand tetons

I am a germ-o-phobe and a perfectionist in the most positive sense of the words, and am a State-licensed professional tattoo artist in Oregon. My studio is private, by appointment-only, and I work one-on-one, with no walk-ins and no interruptions. I generally perform one to two client procedures, per day. I am trained, and certified, in COVID-19 prevention, Aseptic Technique, Cross-Contamination prevention, Blood Borne Pathogen Training, micro-spray and air-borne transmission reduction, Universal Precautions for the prevention of disease control, First AID/CPR, melanoma detection, and diseases and disorders of the skin. Multiple hours of continuing education annually is required by the State of Oregon.

Health and Safety is first and foremost. I have always gone above and beyond what was required pre-COVID19. The studio is current with all State OHLA and Federal requirements. The studio is equipped with HVAC filtration and H13 medical grade HEPA filtration.

Since opening, Above the Pearl Tattoo, LLC was selected to participate in the 2008 Portland Art Museum’s Tattoo History Show, awarded first place 2008 Carquest’s contest for Best Male Tattoo, Best of Citysearch Tattoo Portland 2009 and 2011,  in 2013 featured in Bob Baxter’s Tattoo Road Trip: The Best of Oregon, 2015 had art published in the National Tattoo Association‘s book Tony Edwards: Friends, Family, and Faith, was awarded Expertise.com‘s 20 best Tattoo artists in Portland for 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, BBB A+ accredited since 2012, Awarded 2021 BBB’s Best Small Business Award finalist, a featured artist in Portland’s Big 500 art show invitational, Little by Little art invitational, and nominated for Willamette Week’s Best Tattoo Shop in Portland 2018, and continue to get rave reviews from clients.

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