- The Artist
Matt Thrash
Artist & Proprietor — 29 Years at the Bench
Apprenticed under Bill & Peggy Stewart, est. 1997. Commissioned tattoo artwork in the Black Hills since 2001.
Apprenticed under Bill & Peggy Stewart, est. 1997. Commissioned tattoo artwork in the Black Hills since 2001.
Matt Thrash is a tattoo artist and co-owner of Thrash’s Tattoo in Rapid City, South Dakota. He’s been tattooing in the Black Hills since 1997 and founded the studio in 2001 with his wife, Cathy.
Matt began his career at Black Hills Tattoo under the mentorship of Bill and Peggy Stewart. Under their guidance, he learned not only technical application, but the foundational discipline, standards, and ethics of operating within the craft. Those early years — including working during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally — immersed him in an important era of tattooing culture that continues to influence his values today.
Known early on for taking on technically demanding projects, Matt built a reputation around a simple idea: if it’s tough to execute or deeply important, bring it to him. His approach is detail-driven and anatomy-aware, always asking how to get the most out of the canvas — whether designing a full sleeve or a single meaningful piece.
Over the years, Matt has continued to refine his craft with a steady flow of work at his home base in Rapid City, breaking away to work alongside artists across the country and participating in tattoo conventions and expos. He is proficient in many styles, including traditional Japanese Tebori hand-poke techniques, and custom machine building,
His clientele often includes professionals who have waited years to pursue meaningful body art — individuals ready to invest in work that reflects personal milestones, identity, or long-held ideas. Matt is known for listening closely, collaborating thoughtfully, and elevating concepts into strong visual statements.
A trade learned by hand from masters. A career documented by the institutions that govern it. Matt has been in the rooms where this craft is built and protected.
Black Hills Tattoo, Rapid City, SD — 1997 to 2001. Learned the technical application alongside the foundational discipline, standards, and ethics of operating within the craft.
Member since 2002. Past Secretary. Board Member At-Large, serving two board terms from 2022–2026. APT is tattooing’s only national trade organization — the body federal agencies turn to when they need to talk to the industry. Learn more about APT →
Member of the now-folded National Tattoo Association. Hosted the National Tattoo Convention in Rapid City in 2013. Co-hosted with Black Hills Tattoo. Co-presented Bill Stewart’s Lifetime Achievement Award in front of 1,000 attendees at the convention banquet.
Matt’s focus is clean execution, strong design, and pulling every drop of potential out of the canvas. He pressure-tests his own work — refusing to hide in the easy areas of the body, intentionally taking on the placements and subjects that demand real craft.
He compares it to a trapeze artist taking calculated risks. He’s drawn to experimental and rare techniques — old-school acetate stencil methods, traditional Japanese tebori — alongside modern color realism, fine line, and black-and-grey portraiture.
“Run your best ideas by me. I know a good one when I hear it.”
The studio isn’t only ink. Matt builds custom tattoo machines, casts bronze belt buckles and brass medallions, sets stones into silver pendants, and tie dyes garments by hand. Each craft sharpens the others — discipline borrowed from one shows up in another.
Short videos, recorded between sessions. Coming soon.
Bookings are generally four to six months out. Limited spots, by consultation only. Tell me about your project, and we’ll find the version that becomes something extraordinary.