Soft Yellow Underbelly | Acrylic on canvas | 24 x 36 inches
Artist Statement
My work renders captured time in exquisite detail, rooted in the tension between suspense and chaos. Through hyper-detailed subjects suspended in minimal environments, I explore curiosity, desire, and the quiet magnetism of the unknown, inviting the viewer to step into the moment and become part of its magic. Working across a wide range of media and subject matter, I approach every piece as an illustrator at heart — deconstructing and rebuilding form to study how the universe holds itself together through balance, structure, and contrast. Limitless, relentless and unapologetic, I create because I can.
Artist Biography
Tami Jo Urban is a classically trained visual artist whose work exists at the intersection of art, science, and imagination.
Raised in Detroit, Urban developed an early fascination with drawing not simply as a way of reproducing what she saw, but as a means of understanding how things exist. That instinct became the foundation of her artistic practice: an almost scientific approach to observation and creation. Her work is meticulously researched and aesthetically rendered. Precision becomes a language for exploring emotion and individuality.
With a BFA in Drawing and Painting from Wayne State University and an MFA in Medical and Biological Illustration from the University of Michigan, Tami approaches her art with the curiosity of a scientist and the creativity of an illustrator. She deconstructs, programs, and resurrects her subjects with evocative visual tension.
Urban’s work includes fine art, illustration, bespoke design, and tattooing, often placing intricately detailed subjects within the uneasy space between suspense and chaos. Deeply introspective and deliberately unconventional, Urban’s work is elegantly engineered, intensely observed, and unapologetically human.
Gallery
She Roars | Marker on paper | 10 x 16 inches
Schroeder And Beethoven | Acrylic on canvas | 36 x 24 inches
The 48th | Acrylic on canvas | 18 x 24 inches
The Cantaloupe | Acrylic on canvas | 18 x 24 inches
The Crush | Acrylic on canvas | 24 x 36 inches
The Surrender | Acrylic and epoxy on wood | 17-1/2 x 24 inches
The Third Meeting | Acrylic and graphite on panel | 12 x 12 inches
The Royals | Prismacolor and ink on Bristol board | 8 x 10 inches
The OG Influencers: Oyá, Yemojá Mayelewo, Oshún Ibú Kolé | Acrylic on canvas | 24 x 48 inches
Trepidation | Ink on paper | 11 x 14 inches
Curriculum Vitae
2026 | Contemporary Pride, Gasper Arts Center, Dania Beach, FL
2026 | Soft Yellow Underbelly Solo Exhibition, Delray Beach Public Library, Delray Beach, FL
2025 | Little Things, Ol’ Blue Gallery, Hannibal, MO
2024 | Spooky Empire, Wyndham Orlando Resort, Orlando, FL
2024 | Exhibition, The Artist’s Palate, Delray Beach, FL
2023 | Divine Feminine, Arts Garage, Delray Beach, FL
2022 | First Rodeo, Office Space Gallery, Ferndale, MI
2022 | Christmas Art Market, Faith Arts Village Orlando, Orlando, FL
2021 | The Urban Machine, MADE at The Citadel, Miami, FL [solo]
2017 | Spooky Empire, Hyatt Regency, Orlando, FL
2017 | Spooky Empire Mayhem, Orange County Drive Convention Center, Orlando, FL
2016 | TattooFest, Bradenton Area Convention Center, Palmetto, FL
2015 | TattooFest, Bradenton Area Convention Center, Palmetto, FL
2014 | Spooky Empire, Double Tree, Orlando, FL
2014 | Spooky Empire Mayhem, Double Tree, Orlando, FL
2014 | Pinned Miami, Miami Airport Convention Center, Miami, FL
2014 | TattooFest, Bradenton Area Convention Center, Palmetto, FL
2014 | The 19th Annual Marked For Life Female Tattoo Artist Expo, Double Tree, Orlando, FL
2014 | Tattoolapalooza, Hyatt Regency, Miami, FL
2011 | Orlando Calling, Florida Citrus Sports Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
2008 | The 13th Annual Motor City Tattoo Expo, Marriott, Detroit, MI
2007 | Time is carving, Art of Skin & Bones, Mount Clemens, MI [solo]
Press
Staff Reporter, “Tami Jo Urban of Wynwood on Life, Lessons & Legacy," Voyage MIA, April 30, 2026.
Staff Reporter, “Meet Tami Jo Urban,” Bold Journey, March 19, 2026.
Staff Reporter, “Meet Tami Jo Urban of Miami,” Voyage MIA, March 11, 2026.
Staff Reporter, “Meet Tami Jo Urban,” Bold Journey, November 21, 2025.
Staff Reporter, “Tami Jo Urban of Miami on Life, Lessons & Legacy,” Voyage MIA, October 16, 2025.
Staff Reporter, “What Makes You Lose Track of Time—and Find Yourself Again,” Voyage MIA,October 16, 2025.
Staff Reporter, “Meet Tami Jo Urban,” Canvas Rebel, May 3, 2025.
Staff Reporter, “Meet Tami Jo Urban,” Bold Journey, November 7, 2024.
Staff Reporter, “Check Out Tami Jo Urban’s Story” Voyage MIA, June 27, 2024.
Staff Reporter, “Meet Tami Jo Urban,” Canvas Rebel, May 16, 2024.
Staff Reporter, “Meet Tami Jo Urban,” Canvas Rebel, August 31, 2023.
Staff Reporter, “Meet Tami Jo Urban,” Voyage MIA, May 3, 2018.
Molly Dickinson, “Art of Skin & Bones,” Today’s Chiropractic Lifestyle, February/March 2011.
Richard Walker, “People Making News,” Detroit Free Press, October 7, 2005.
Tom Henderson, “People,” Crains Detroit, September 19, 2005.
Terry Dobson, “People On The Move,” Detroit News, August 5, 2005.
Sarah DeVries-Allen, “Standing Tall,” Xlibris Corp, May 26, 2005.
Ramone Espinosa, “You Can Do It.” Science World, January 21, 2002. 20.
Sarah Klein, “Illustration and Tattoo Artistry Compose ‘Most Unique’ Portfolio,” Tech Center News, April 23, 2001. 5A.
Contact
Social Media