Walk through Milton on any given day, and chances are you’ll spot the work of Em Reid and Titouan (Tito) Lavole—etched onto sun-kissed limbs emerging from the surf, wrapped around coffee cups in local cafés, or splashed across murals and beer cans around town. The creative duo are the owners of Blanc Space, one of the South Coast’s most recognisable tattoo studios, and call nearby Burrill Lake home, where they live with their groodle, Erv. Their story began with a chance encounter and a couple of lucky breaks.
Em moved to the South Coast at 13 and has been drawing for as long as she can remember. In 2016, alongside friend Laura Smith, she launched Blanc Space in Ulladulla as a creative hub for artists, makers and performers. “We took the leap, signed the lease and set it up,” Em recalls. “I spent most of my budget on fiddle leaf fig trees and office supplies.”
As fate would have it, Blanc Space opened next door to Zodiac Tattoo Studio. Curious about the craft, Em shifted from drawing on paper to inking on skin, completing an apprenticeship before eventually taking over the business. In 2017, Blanc Space evolved into a tattoo studio. “It just made sense,” she says. “Blank walls, blank spaces.” In 2020, Blanc Space relocated to Milton, where it has flourished into a vibrant studio housing a collective of talented artists. One of those original fiddle leaf figs—now a decade old—still stands proudly at home as a reminder of where it all began.
Tito’s journey started on the other side of the world. Born in Guadeloupe, a French Caribbean island, he grew up surfing, drawing and creating. After studying at the French Academy of Fine Arts in Bordeaux, he built a successful career producing artwork and graphics for surf brands including AFENDS, Misfit and TCSS.
The pair first crossed paths in 2017 at Grey Dolphins Takeaway in Mollymook. Tito was visiting Australia on a surf trip with AFENDS. “Tito was just smiling in the corner,” Em laughs. “I couldn’t really speak English,” Tito says. “But she had me intrigued.” Over chips and gravy, they made plans to catch up again. Shortly afterwards, Tito broke his left arm and was forced to abandon the surf trip. Em offered him a place to stay while he recovered before flying home. Then Em broke her right arm and had to take a month off from tattooing. What followed was an accelerated crash course in getting to know one another. “I’d hold the carrot, and Tito would chop it,” says Em. “He’d help me with my hair. It definitely fast-tracked our relationship.” Unable to surf or tattoo, the pair spent their recovery painting and drawing together. “I’d stick a paintbrush into the end of my cast and paint,” Em recalls. Tito grins: “My cast was filthy by the time it came off.”
The more they talked, the more parallels they discovered. Both were raised in creative families. Both had mothers named Deborah. Both had lost their fathers to suicide at a young age. “We understood each other from the beginning,” says Em. Although separated by half a world, their connection felt immediate. “We gravitated towards each other from opposite sides of the planet,” says Tito.
“We gravitated towards
each other from opposite
sides of the planet.”
Eventually, Tito followed Em into tattooing. While he loved drawing, the transition came with a new level of responsibility. “A tattoo is forever,” he says. “My artwork will stay with that person for life.” Today, he is an integral part of Blanc Space—part artist, part problem-solver, quietly keeping everything running behind the scenes. Outside of work, his creativity takes many forms. He plays guitar in a band and enjoys making furniture and sculptural pieces by hand, bringing the same sense of form and detail to timber that he brings to skin.
For Em, tattooing remains endlessly fascinating because it is never static. “Skin is an organ,” she says. “Every person is different, and it’s never the same canvas to work on.” The work is often deeply personal. Clients frequently share stories while sitting in the chair, and tattoos can mark milestones, honour loved ones or commemorate life’s most significant moments. “It’s a privilege to be part of that,” says Em. She’s committed to continually developing her craft, exploring new tattoo styles and undertaking further training, including mental health support education. “You’ve got to keep learning,” she says. “Shake things up, gain new perspectives and keep growing.”
Their connection to the South Coast extends well beyond the studio walls. Em’s creative work can be found throughout the region, from murals at Pilgrims Wholefoods and AKWA Surf to bold, playful illustrations for Dangerous Ales beer labels. Both have exhibited their work at local galleries. “I love being part of this community,” Em says. “I’m always proud to make art here.”
Tito continues to create artwork for Australia’s surf industry, collaborating with brands on merchandise, exhibition pieces and visual campaigns that fuse his distinctive drawing style with surf culture. He recently designed a signature surfboard for Misfit called ‘Eraser Head’—a nod to David Lynch’s 1977 cult horror film—and has also appeared in a number of surf videos for the brands he works with.
In 2025, Em’s artistic journey took her onto the national stage as a contestant on Portrait Artist of the Year Australia. In a fitting twist, her mystery sitter turned out to be gardening icon Costa Georgiadis. Years earlier, Em had met Costa at the Gaia Farmers Market in Ulladulla and woven flowers into his famous beard. “It was a full-circle moment,” she says. “I could feel Mum in the background, absolutely giddy with excitement.” As she sketched, the pair chatted throughout the sitting. “It put me at ease,” Em says. “And I think he appreciated having someone to talk to.”
Much like Em and Tito’s story, it was another unexpected connection—proof that sometimes the best things happen when creativity, courage and a little bit of luck collide.