Josh Payne at Ascend Gallery in Cortland (Cortland Voice)
CORTLAND, N.Y. — The owner of a Cortland tattoo gallery is the winner of $100,000 and the title of Ink Master.
Josh Payne, owner of Ascend Gallery at 15 Central Ave., was named Ink Master champion on the season finale of the TV show Ink Master, now in its 16th season.
Payne will also receive a feature article in Ink Magazine.
As part of the final challenge of the season, the remaining three contestants were given 42 hours to draw a battle royale chest tattoo.
Throughout the season, Payne rubbed some of the other artists the wrong way with his confident attitude.
"I came in day one as super confident. I knew what I wanted," Payne told the panel of judges. "I did ruffle some feathers. The whole time a lot of people mistook my confidence for cockiness, but at the end of the day, love me or hate me, I'm here to be the next ink master."
