About Kim

Sally Simpleton, glass half full, #1 cat mom-he told me so, walks around with an IV bag filled with Starbucks (would prefer Peet's), domestic to a fault, quintessential Cancer, loves drawing on people, thinks about yoga 24/7.


Becoming a tattoo artist was inevitable for Kim whose interest began at age of 16, moment before receiving her first one. Her apprenticeship began at age 18 in Cleveland, Ohio where she learned the basics but soon relocated to Chicago where she had the gracious opportunity to work with Gut Aitchison at Guilty&Innocent Productions. In 1999, Kim opened Cherry Bomb Tattoo in the Wicker Park neighbourhood in Chicago's northside.

Kim has always felt this highly public, yet ironically overlooked, art form is by far the most sacred. Her illustrative style is influenced by everything from fairy tales to iconographic images from all over the world religions, art nouveau to architecture, mythical imagery to nature-especially nature, because it's organic flow lends itself to be draped over the human body.

Kim enjoys the freedom of not really having one particular style so that she can assimilate all that inspires her into each piece, keeping the medium new and fun. When she is not tattooing, she is likely upside down or spending time with the love of her life, Geezer.