It seems somewhat fitting to me that given the nature of this past week’s disastrous earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, that I profile a tattooist who is not only rad at the artwork that he does, but who was also personally affected by another Christchurch earthquake, this one back on the 4th of September, 2010. That quake registered 7.1 and is believed by seismologists to have lead to this past Tuesday’s devastating 6.3 quake.
It was during the September 4th earthquake that tattooist Matt Jordan’s place of employment, Ink Grave Tattoo was destroyed. After sifting through the rubble, it was time to rebuild and Ink Grave Tattoo bounced back with a brand new location, even bigger than its predecessor. As it stands right now, I am uncertain as to whether or not this new incarnation of Ink Grave Tattoo survived Tuesday’s earthquake.
What I do know is that disasters aside (as much as you can put a disaster aside), Matt Jordan has skills. Matt Jordan is the kind of tattooist whose work doesn’t need a lot of explanation or analysis. It’s just straightforward, high quality tattoo, and it’s a pleasure to look through his portfolio and see what kind of work he’s done.
It’s also worth mentioning that Matt won the awards for: Best/Realistic Portrait tattoo, Best Black and Grey, Best leg, Best of Day (Saturday), Best of Show and last but not least, Grabaseat Best Artist of Show at the New Zealand Tattoo and Art Festival this past November. So yeah…he’s collected a few awards and represented for his homeland – which incidentally, boasts one of the most tattooed populations in the world.
Anyway, here’s to hoping that Matt and his fellow countrymen and women come back stronger than ever from this past week’s disaster. All the best to Matt Jordan, everyone at Ink Grave Tattoo and the entire population of New Zealand, from us at Tattoo Blog.