Oliver Peck is the sort of guy who seems to be everywhere at once.  Just try keeping up with him by googling his name.  It’s not all that easy.  He always seems to be mentioned in some capacity or another, from having a mustache that is seemingly inspired by the little man on the Pringles potato chip canister, to being the ex-husband of Kat Von D, to (briefly) holding the world record for the number of tattoos done in a 24 hour period.  He has some sort of footwear deal with Vans skateboard shoe company, he’s repeatedly tattooed on the Van’s Warped Tour and his personal website hasn’t been updated since 2007.

Yet aside from all that, Peck, also lovingly known as “Ducky” and “Fuck Face” (according to the Elm Street Tattoo site) as well as my personal favourite: “Oliver Pecker”, has built a strong reputation for doing what he does best, which is of course, tattoo.  By his own estimate, Peck has been tattooing for 18 years and counting.  He’s permanently set up at Dallas Texas’ Elm Street Tattoo, where every Friday the 13th, he does nothing but 13 tattoos.

All in all, Oliver strikes people as a very relaxed, funny loving guy.  I think it’s because he’s so skilled and his tattoo work does such an excellent job of precise old school style, that he can have fun with people and with life in general.  In my opinion, the best art comes from being comfortable with yourself and your abilities.  Judging by the busy and frantic life of Oliver Peck, he has problem with any of that.

Now that I know that Oliver shares three of my own greatest passions: Slurpees, The Big Lebowski and tattooing, I’ll be sure to bring him a cola Slurpee and chat about the adventures of The Dude, should I ever be lucky enough to get some tattoo time with him.

Hiya folks, how goes it?  I admit I haven’t been around for a little while, but if you’re still coming back on a regular basis checking to see what’s up at Tattoo Blog, first off – thank you, and secondly, Tattoo Blog is still alive and kicking.  Today I’m going to throw a HUGE interview your way with self professed “old man” and former Kat Von D husband, Oliver Peck.

Check it out and thanks again for sticking around.

If you’ve never heard of a woman named Olive Oatman, then you’re not alone.  After all, Oatman died over one-hundred-years ago in Texas, at the age of 66.  You didn’t study her in your high school history class and chances are that no one ever mentioned her in any of your university or college courses either.  Yet Olive Oatman lead a remarkable life.

For starters, she was the first white tattooed woman in the history of the United States.  I’m not talking about some little anchor tattoo on her shoulder, either.  Oatman’s tattoo was hardcore even by today’s standards: 5 blue vertical bars that ran from her lower lip to the base of her chin.  What made a teenage Mormon girl do such a thing?  The story of how Olive Oatman became who she became is even more interesting than the tattoo itself.

In 1851, at the age of 13, Oatman and her family set out from Illinois to California.  Along the way, the family lost its bearings and ended up in what is today known as Arizona.  Here they were ambushed by Yavapai Indians.  Olive’s family was murdered, except for her brother (who escaped without Olive knowing), her sister Mary Ann and of course, Olive.  The two sisters were taken captive by the Yavapais and became slaves for a year until they were sold to a Mohave tribe.  Shortly after, Olive and her sister were tattooed by the Mohave people with the dust from ground blue stones.  Mary Ann died of starvation and Olive continued to live with the Mohave people, who treated her as one of their own.

It wasn’t until 1856 that an army search was launched for Mary Ann and Olive Oatman.  Olive was found after two months and brought back to live in white America.  Olive was devastated by this removal from her adopted tribe.  Some time later, Oatman began to sell her story and speak in public – which attracted quite a lot of fanfare, given her extremely unusual tattoo.

Olive Oatman’s story has much more to it than what I could ever hope to cover here.  If you’re interested in learning the entire story from beginning to end, author Margot Mifflin has just released an entirely comprehensive book on the subject, called The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman.  The book’s already received rave reviews and for good reason.

Why not check out a fascinating dose of both tattoo and American history?

Aren’t tattoo artists swell?  I mean it.  Here’s a group of people who bring joy to millions of art hungry people around the world on a daily basis and all they ever ask for in return is a little bit of cash and a quick photo of their work on your body once they’ve finished.  Just like that, and you’re set with something important that you can keep for a lifetime.  Not only that, but it also seems to me that tattoo artists are some of the most generous people currently working in any sort of professional context.  How many times have you seen a news story about a particular tattoo artist doing something for a charity or an all around good cause?  And, it seems that even when these artists are doing something that thrusts them into the limelight, there is always an underlying reason for doing what they do.

Such is the case with the world record for most tattoos inked in a 24-hour period.  We all heard about Kat Von D inking 400 people back in December of 2007, with 100% of the profits going to Vitamin Angels, a charity which helps provide much needed nutrients for children in third world countries.  Then, this past June, Von D’s ex-husband Oliver Peck broke the record by tattooing 415 people with the number 13 at his Elm Street Tattoo studio in Dallas, Texas.  The record was destroyed on October 25th by Derek Kastning, a Tyler, Texas tattoo artist, who did 726 tattoos and subsequently donated all proceeds to the Humane Society of East Texas.  But that wasn’t to be the end of it, no way.  In November, Hollis Cantrell of Phoenix, Arizona took the record to the next level, tattooing 727 people, with a percentage of the proceeds going to non-profit charities.

Finally, this weekend, John Streightiff of TNT Tattoo and Body Piercing in Tyrone, Pennsylvania is setting his sights on the record yet again.  Streightiff is tattooing a one inch stick of dynamite on anyone willing to give up $15.  All proceeds will go to Grandma’s House, a charity which helps children suffering from HIV.

There you have it, all these artists doing something that gives them a great deal of publicity, but using the proceeds from that publicity to help their communities and others in the world.  It’s not just the record holders who are charitable and considerate people, either.  A quick search through this blog and the internet will reveal tons of instances where tattoo artists have used their skills to give back to others.  So give it up for the tattoo artists, they often do more than just tattoo.

The third tattooer this year has made a run at the Guiness World Record for most tattoos…. Kat Von D did the publicity stunt for her tv show tattooing people with the phrase “LA Ink”, then her ex-husband Oliver Peck upped the anti by breaking her record tattooing 415 people with the #13 on Friday the 13th.

There are two rules for the record the tattoos must be 3.25 by 3.25 and at least 2 colors

Rat-A-Tac-Tat Tattoos in Tyler, Florida … tattoo artist Derek Kastning did 726 tattoos in the 24 hour span for $20 a piece with the cash going to the Humane Society of East Texas.

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