don ed hardy revived a childhood determination to become a tattoo artist and underwent a tattoo apprenticeship while simultaneously receiving a B.F.A. degree in printmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1967. In 1973 he lived in Japan, studying with a traditional tattoo master — the first non-Asian to gain access to that world. He resumed these studies in Japan throughout the 1980s.
In 1982 he and his wife, Francesca Passalacqua, formed Hardy Marks Publications and have written, edited and published twenty books on alternative art. From 1986 to early 1997 they resided in Honolulu, where Hardy resumed painting, drawing and printmaking. He continues to tattoo on a limited basis but is primarily focused on creating and exhibiting ed hardy  in more traditional mediums.

In addition to showing his own ed hardy, Hardy has curated a number of exhibitions for both galleries and nonprofit spaces and frequently lectures at museums and universities. His work has appeared in numerous periodicals, books, films and videos internationally. In 2001, he was the sole representative of the U.S. in the 7th Bienal of Painting at Cuenca, Ecuador. He and Francesca now divide their time between the San Francisco Bay area and Honolulu.