Inked Anatomy

I grew up in Saskatchewan raised by my loving parents Allan and Colleen Brass who supported my creativity by buying me art supplies for birthdays and Christmas. I have had a passion for the visual arts for as long as I can remember. Growing up with my brother and sister, Steven and Sarah, comic books were my inspiration and I liked to draw and sketch with pencil, primarily, finishing my works with bold pen and ink strokes.

Art, to me, was a creative outlet and gave me an escape from the world of a teenager. I created these artworks for myself. I am fortunate that I am able to transfer what I see in my mind, most of the time, onto paper which is one of the most satisfying feelings. The human body fascinated me and I drew mostly comic book style characters throughout my teenage years. In high school I decided that anatomy and the body would be a focus in some capacity in my life. When I entered the working world, art was put by the wayside for a period of time, replaced by other things. I did miss it though, I missed the fact that it gave me a positive outlet and some form of direction.

I moved to Victoria, BC in 2011 to take the Registered Massage Therapy program I experienced renewed excitement for art during time back in school. Anatomy and physiology quickly became my favourite classes and I used my art as a study tool. Drawing helped make studying less of a chore and would help me memorize the information. I could see that manual therapy would allow for financial stability while allowing me more free time to focus on artwork. I didn’t know exactly what my artwork would become, but I knew I had a creative future ahead of me.

In first term, there was an art contest for students that took place. First prize got to showcase their art in the in-school clinic and also received one of the required textbooks for free. I received first place for the posterior torso view and shortly thereafter, Inked Anatomy was born. The purpose of Inked Anatomy is to create anatomically-correct, stylized artworks of the human body to be used and admired by professionals and clientele alike in a clinical setting or at home.

I am currently practicing manual therapy at Fix Healthcare in Victoria and learning more about the human body every day. I still love to create art and will be working on some new pieces including the brain, the lumbosacral plexus and movement-based activities in the near future. For now, you can view my work at www.inkedanatomy.com.

Michael Barss