In Los Angeles, on Melrose Hill, former television screenwriter Steve Stringer has transformed a modest back shed into a thriving art studio and a hub for handmade enthusiasts. Stringer, who previously crafted storylines for shows like “Roswell, New Mexico” and “Tell Me a Story,” is now dedicated to ceramics and hosts viral workshops. His flagship workshop, “Tattoo a Mug,” allows participants to decorate ceramic pieces in a style strikingly reminiscent of classic tattoo flash.
Steve’s Backhouse: A 500-Square-Foot Sanctuary
500 square feet – that’s the size of the small outbuilding that Stringer, a Los Angeles-based ceramicist, stumbled upon while inspecting a neighboring property. Initially, the space seemed unassuming, but as the artist himself noted, “it had good bones.” After a month of DIY renovations, the studio was proudly named Steve’s Backhouse and opened its doors in May.
Since then, Backhouse has become a pilgrimage site. The monthly schedule of creative workshops, many of which sell out instantly, includes his signature classes where participants decorate mugs handmade by Stringer. Previously, Steve had to transport his materials to coffee shops and vintage stores, but in his own space, he’s been able to create a perfect, thoughtfully designed layout: bar seating for solo attendees, a large communal table for groups, and cozy nooks for dates. The atmosphere at Backhouse strikes a balance between a children’s art studio and a minimalist museum gallery. The interior is dominated by handmade wooden tables and cozy mushroom lamps casting a warm glow.
For example, during a workshop held on Thursday, September 11, 2025, Stringer prepared 32 identical workstations. Each one contained the necessary tools:
- A handmade red clay mug;
- A No. 2 pencil and an underglaze pencil;
- An eraser and paper towel;
- A Flash Sheet.
“Tattoo a Mug”: The Aesthetics of Low Stakes and Flash Culture
The key element of the workshop is the flash sheet – a printout with Stringer’s original sketches. This is a direct reference to traditional tattoo culture, where flash (ready-made, often repeatable designs) serves as a source of quick inspiration. Stringer explains that people find it difficult to come up with ideas on the spot, so he provides templates, such as a summer collection featuring a shrimp cocktail and SpongeBob SquarePants popsicles.
The decorating technique itself, which Stringer jokingly calls “tattooing for TikTok,” was born out of necessity. “It’s quite difficult to draw on ceramics in a way that the drawing will hold,” Stringer explains. “The materials that worked dictated my style. It looks a bit messy, like a child did it.” This messy yet charming style, filled with witty and kitschy motifs (like the trio of nameless dogs that became a hit with visitors), perfectly aligns with the DIY aesthetic and the popular stick-and-poke trend in contemporary tattoo culture.
Expert Analysis: Tattoo Aesthetics as a Tool for Self-Expression
For the tattoo industry, Stringer’s project holds deep contextual meaning. By using the term “flash” and mimicking a style that appears “a bit messy,” Stringer demystifies the art-making process. This resonates with the global trend of “low-stakes tattoos,” where personal experience and authenticity are valued over perfect technical precision. In the tattoo world, which can sometimes be “exclusive” and intimidatingly professional, as noted by regular attendee Celine Cormier, Backhouse offers a safe and accessible space.
Key Parallels with Tattoo Culture:
- Flash Art: The use of pre-made, yet original, templates for quick design selection.
- Handmade Aesthetic: The intentional “roughness” of the style, which in body art corresponds to popular styles like stick-and-poke or minimalist single-line tattoos.
- Low Stakes: Stringer constantly repeats, “You can’t mess this up.” This removes the fear of making a mistake that often accompanies the decision to get a real tattoo. Ceramics becomes a therapeutic substitute for those who, like Stringer himself, are “too afraid to take the risk” to tattoo someone.
As Josie Francis, co-founder of Fuzz & Fuzz, notes, Steve’s main endeavor is not just ceramics, but “the art of bringing people together.”
From the Writer’s Room to the Potter’s Wheel
Stringer’s path to ceramics was non-linear, typical for Hollywood transplants. In 2013, he earned a Master’s degree in Screenwriting from the University of Texas at Austin and moved to Los Angeles, where after a series of assistant positions, he achieved success in the writer’s room. However, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a slowdown in the industry, and Stringer found himself out of work.
Ceramics, he says, was initially just a therapeutic hobby, an escape from the monotonous work of copywriting. “I didn’t plan it as a source of income,” he admits. However, as his longtime friend John Bellina recounts, Stringer never did anything halfway. His ability to quickly come up with witty ideas and his strong authorial voice, honed during his time as a screenwriter, quickly manifested in ceramics as well. His mugs are often adorned with puns and clever phrases that, according to Bellina, “make three words truly pop in a limited space.”
The transition to teaching was also not accidental. Back in the early 2010s, as graduate students, Stringer and Bellina taught screenwriting courses for students, and as Bellina jokes, “those degrees seem to have come in handy, albeit indirectly.”
Stringer’s New Rules
Stringer, to whom his girlfriend Bridget Darrow (with whom he has been together for almost two years) said in May 2024, “If anyone can do it, it’s you,” when he told her about his plans for Backhouse, has proven that creative freedom can be profitable.
He admits that, in a way, he feels much more at home at Backhouse than in Hollywood. If television has strict rules and structures, here he can create them himself.
“I can make up the rules here,” concludes Stringer, who is currently working on wholesale options and plans to introduce a walk-in studio model, continuing to develop his unique space that combines clay, humor, and tattoo flash aesthetics.
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