Bertelsen Art & Tattoo

Wonderful! This is coming from a person who recently got their first tattoo. Jake actually cares about your tattoo and the meaning behind it. He designed me a tattoo so much more amazing than anything I could have dreamed up myself. I drove ten hours (round trips) twice to have him 1st measure, look at the area and talk to me about my tattoo and then the 2nd time to get my tattoo. Absolutely worth it. Jake and his wife are both amazing artists and so very welcoming. I have a truly unique and beautiful piece of artwork on my body that I will treasure forever. Thanks Jake!

Mickey was AMAZING. The studio is so clean and kind, amazing work. I get complimented on my tattoo ALL THE TIME. I will now make the drive to Kalispell from Spokane EVERY. TIME. I want work done. They are worth the trip!!!!!

I came across Jake's page through Facebook, and quickly, after seeing his work, decided i wanted something done by him. i was in for a surprised to realize that not only was his work beyond amazing, but that he himself, was just and all around great guy to be around. he made me feel comfortable and relaxed, to where i truly enjoyed my time with him. i could not find a better person to trust with the art that will forever be on my body and i would recommend him a 100 time over to anyone. best tattoo artist,in Montana would be an understatement! and i am honored to have his art work on my arm!

Jake and kelly have a heart of an angel and the skills that are out of this world. They took it upon themselves to tattoo four of us till 1 AM. Our mother passed away and we wanted a tattoo to represent her. They both did an amazing job and my mom would be so proud. We are forever greatful. Thank you for such kindness.

My Daughter got her first Tattoo with Canada and the entire experience at Bertelsen Art &Tattoo was first rate. A very friendly and professional staff from the Top down. I have not been in many Tattoo parlors, but this is, in my opinion an Art studio that does Tattoos and the nicest one I have every seen. Well done to the Bertelsen team. Thanks,

I ended up with a tattoo which reminded me of a very painful, heartbreaking period of time in my life. I didn't regret the tattoo but I did feel the only way to keep it was to find a way for it to exist in the most meaningful context possible. A "cover up" wouldn't do that - even though I was pretty sure the original tattoo would likely become "covered over" in the process. Something far more than simple semantics in my mind & heart.
The best description I could come up with was I needed to find a way to "redeem" the tattoo.

An Internet search led me to Bertelsen Art & Tattoo in Kalispell, Montana.
I was impressed with the quality of the art represented and inspired by the integrity with which Jake conveyed himself and his work.
If anyone could understand what I was trying to achieve, I thought it would be Jake. And, he did.
Not only was Jake supportive of my idea, he was thoughtful and reflective in his response. He was incredibly gracious with his time and his talents during the nearly 4 years it took for our respective schedules to jive in a way which allowed for the actual work to be done.
2 days ago, after an 8 hour session with Jake, I walked out of his studio with a profound sense of relief, peace and even freedom. The agreed upon art, which was Jake's idea, turned out to be exactly what I wanted/needed. It's a gift.
To say this was a near perfect professional experience is an understatement. It's been a poignant personal odyssey which I wouldn't have been able to complete without Jake's willingness to make the last part of the journey with me.
I'll always be grateful - to him and his wonderful staff.

Jake deserves way more than five stars. I've never had a tattoo artist care about me and my ideas anywhere near as much as Jake does. If you want a beautiful tattoo on your body that you can be proud of everyday of your life then get tattooed in Kalispell, Montana by Jake Bertelsen.

Fantastic experience. Mickey is a fantastic artist and did a stellar job on my piece. Jake and Kelly and great owners, friendly, and very personable. Matea has great correspondence and is always making sure clients have the best experience. Thank you!

I had an Epic experience creating a special tattoo with Jake! I’d been pushing around concepts in my head and was ready to collaborate with an artist that could create a detailed black and grey tattoo, but at the same time be very thoughtful and present to the emotions I wanted my piece to convey. I live in Bozeman, Montana and really wanted to find a tattoo artist that would be talented, but also open-minded in working with me at creating a spectacular piece. I wasn’t impressed with anyone’s work around Bozeman or Billings (this included at least two dozen shops). Because of my persistence and determination, I ended up spending long hours looking at artwork from many tattoo artists in the entire state of Montana! When I stumbled on Jake’s website I was impressed with his attention to detail. I instantly could tell he put a lot of time and thought into the tattoo’s he created. I immediately sent him an e-mail explaining my concept. His initial response was to send him some reference pictures and describe the emotions the pictures were conveying. So I did. Then I got an unexpected phone call from him one or two days later and he spent about an hour on the phone with me wanting to know more about my ideal tattoo, while going over every reference picture I had sent him. I was impressed immediately by his passion and enthusiasm in wanting to work with me. Jake really wanted to create this tattoo with me and assured me he’d put into it everything he had!

The coolest thing happened when he sent me a follow up e-mail, before working on my sketches, asking me to send him a playlist of my favorite songs, so he could listen to them while he sketched the tattoo. He said he wanted the flow of his drawings to accompany my music; to help create a tattoo which would depict who I am. It didn’t matter that I needed to drive 5 hours north to Kalispell and miss a day from work because I felt his passion and commitment. I knew Jake would put all of his talent and effort into the tattoo. And I was right! In a single 9-hour session Jake created an amazing tattoo! I can’t describe the awesome experience in words, but if I had to choose a few I’d say; Epic, Authentic, Relaxing, Comfortable, Fun and Enlightened. I also got to meet his wife, kids, and entire family who were all so welcoming to me. What made the tattoo so Epic, wasn’t just the quality of the tattoo – but the entire process. I felt Jake worked with me from start to finish. He had a calm and confident energy to him, which definitely made the moment of getting the tattoo drawn into my skin very relaxing and even enjoyable - it never felt painful. We jammed out to all sorts of music and traded stories all day about life in general. I never felt like he was just trying to talk to make time pass or to take my mind off the pain, but instead that all our conversations were authentic and real. He’s a very inspiring artist to be around. He is such a great artist and more importantly a better person. I’ll never forget the Wolf tattoo he created for me. Every day it transcends into a more beautiful piece of art. It was a good day!

Jake did an amazing job on my memorial piece. I was looking for lots of detail in a robotic bee and I got exactly what I was looking for. He is very thorough and great to talk to while laying there for 6-7 hours at a time. His whole staff is very friendly and anyone looking for something unique should definitely check him out!