Autumn Zaionz is an artist from Gowanda, NY, who moved to Buffalo in 2011, and ultimately found a home with the crew at Sink or Swim in 2025.

Autumn fostered an interest in the visual arts from a young age, noting their father and grandmother as front runners in the cultivation of these interests. From the time they could hold a pencil, they have been fostering their skills as an artist, even being reprimanded in the classroom for drawing during lessons.

Around the age of 15, Autumn was introduced to the world of body modification, dreaming of the various tattoos and piercings they would get when they were able to. They even began stretching their lobes around this age and fell in love with the process, dedication, and patience it took. Autumn dreamt of being the one responsible for adorning people in beautiful work over their bodies. They believe there is an intrinsic beauty to tattooing, as living, breathing art.

In 2024, When talking with their spouse, Autumn was encouraged to finally take the leap and hunt for a tattoo apprenticeship. Autumn hit the ground running, putting together a strong portfolio and spoke with friends within the tattooing community. In 2025, Autumn went through a series of interviews with the crew from Sink or Swim and was given the opportunity to apprentice there.

Autumn has a background in illustration, visual storytelling, and painting in various forms. They believe they would like to pursue a style in neo-traditional as well as illustrative. They dream of being a skilled and versatile artist that can achieve the vision of their future clients. Autumn ultimately enjoys depicting the human form, the natural world, flora, fauna, surrealist collage, and inside jokes.

You can follow their apprenticeship progress on their Instagram @azaionz_art.