Home is where the art is for Birr tattooist
by Navjyoti Dalal
When she moved to Ireland in the wake of the Russian invasion of her homeland, Ukraine's Liudmyla 'Milly' Mytnik had no conversational currency of English.
The fine artist, jewellery designer and tattoo artist turned to art for help. Instead of English classes or books, she sought help from animated figures and characters prancing around on a screen.
"I learned English from cartoons like Steven Universe and animation films like The Last Airbender. That they were an illustration makes them relatable for me," Milly told us.
At her recently launched studio in Birr, she uses fluent English to converse with her Irish clients.
Located on the Offaly town's Main Street, Milly's Tattoo studio is one of two tattoo shops in Birr and is frequented by clients from Tullamore, Clara, Athlone, Mayo and elsewhere.
Despite her popularity, Milly works with only one client at a time. "Tattoos are emotional for the client, and their permanence adds even more weight to the trust they place in me as an artist. I see only one client a day, to work with them and their energy with absolute focus," said Milly.
Her forte as a tattoo artist lies in covering up tattoos. "Sometimes people get tattoos only as an experience, and it doesn't age well, or evoke the same emotion as when it was created at first. Such tattoos are usually reworked or improved upon.
"I feel it brings the client great relief and happiness when an old tattoo is given a new lease of life with beauty," shared Milly who enjoys creating nature-inspired designs.
She added that her process as a tattoo artist starts with an in-person consultation. "Tattoos are an expression of emotion, they are done with a lot of intention. So it becomes important to meet the client and understand his need face-to-face.
"We discuss the design, then I make a rough sketch, and we add to it if the client needs it. Sometimes they have a reference image, in that case we use it as a base and add original nuances to it," elaborated Milly, who works with designs in realism, fine line, black and grey, and colour.
Milly is also popular for the portraits she inks. "Loved ones are a cherished theme in tattoo art. Many of my clients have asked me to make portraits of their loved ones, sometimes a departed one like a grandparent. It makes me so happy to bring them joy through my art," she noted.
Other than tattoos, she is also known for her monochromatic oil paintings in dry brush technique.
Daughter of an artist mother, Milly studied art and began her career as a jewellery designer, later veering to tattoo artistry. She had built a reputation for her art, especially in 'correcting' tattoos in her hometown of Odessa.
She was 12 years into tattoo art when she had to leave her thriving business in Odessa and move to Ireland to escape war. She arrived in Dublin thinking it to be a temporary relocation, and that she would return home in a few months, once the war stopped.
More than four years and five Irish addresses later, Milly is still here. The home she once wanted to return to has come to her in the form of her tattoo studio.
In the last four years Milly has moved from Dublin to Ashbourne, Athlone, Clara and finally to Kilcormac. At most places she worked as a sales advisor, carrying the identity of a Ukrainian refugee.
But her tattoo studio is her effort to break the glass ceiling, one she is finding success with. Returning to art for her livelihood is a way for her to reclaim her identity as an artist, from that of a refugee.
"It is the best job in the world, one that you love. I love art and to be able to practice art was a dream after moving here," said Milly who came to Ireland along with her son, husband and parents-in-law in 2023.
She credits her return to tattoo artistry to the support she has received in Ireland. "I have met the nicest people here. I am deeply grateful to people like Ciaran Hayes of Megabikes in Dublin who gave me my first ever job in Ireland, and Aidan Leonard and Warren Maher of Inchmore House in Clara, where I worked in the kitchen," shared Milly who is full of 'gra' for Ireland.
"This country is my second home, for this country protected us. I feel at peace here. I feel I can do meaningful work here," Milly said, with palpable gratitude.