Vyvyn Lazonga is a tattoo artist who began her career in Seattle in the early 1970s and was trained by Danny Danzl.
She was the first woman to work for herself in the industry, not her husband or another male shop owner.
She worked in San Francisco and was tattooed by Ed Hardy in the 70's.
She won the award for Best Tattooed Female in 1978 for his work.
Later she was fortunate enough to meet Horiyoshi II at one of Lyle Tuttle's parties before returning in 1989 to open her studio in Seattle.
She has advocated the use of tattoos to cover mastectomy scars as an aid to recovery.