LIZ MANZOLINI is an artist, wife, mother of two boys, and businesswoman. She is originally from Padova, Italy, where her love of fine art began. Although Sunday morning  mass was a bit boring for her, Liz marveled in the art and sculptures housed in the grandiose basilicas, which shaped her fondness for the artistry. 

At the age of seven, she moved to the United Kingdom with her family, where they settled in London. It was there where her love of art grew: the multitude of awe-inspiring galleries, the Victorian inspiration, the beauty of the Renaissance and the Pre-Raphaelites. Her artwork began in her childhood, through the medium of painting as a way to help express herself. Liz studied fine art at Havering College, London, and chose to express herself via tattooing in the late 1990s, when it was reaching the heights of popularity. 

Liz knew that, like herself, people wanted to express themselves through the canvas of their body; she cites that as one of her most important reasons for tattooing: to create the art on the bodies of those who wish to express themselves in splashes of colors, or lines of black and grey. Her influences are deeply rooted in her history, the spectacular art she had seen, her own imagination, as well as nature – a theme that she always tries to incorporate into her work. 

Although her work started in London, Liz relocated to Armacao de Pera, in the very center of Algarve, Portugal, where she opened a studio. After five years of living the beautiful and influential beach life, Liz once again found her way back to London, but not for very long. She set her sights on New York, where she currently resides. 

Liz owns Milk & Honey Tattoo in Staten Island, New York. Staten Island, in its uniqueness, was – and remains – a bit of a culture shock for Liz, who explains “I pretend like I'm making a documentary, but I'm the only one who’s watching it.” She has her own style, which includes stunning color pieces, as well as detailed portraits, but her work is not confined to any boxes. More than anything, Liz  likes to tattoo “positive things that are beautiful, while creating a positive message.” She also “always feel very honored to tattoo memorial tattoos … celebrating a life through a tattoo is a privilege that I often get given.”