Oh man.  Why do bad things have to happen during things that are related to tattoo?  I mean, to be fair, it is so rare that criminal things happen at tattoo events and in fact, I’d argue that far more good things happen at tattoo events than bad, but it only takes one or two bad actions to really give tattoo a bad name.  Which isn’t fair at all, because anyone who is interested in tattoo or knows about tattoo knows that the people who are tattooed and the art of tattoo are two entirely separate things.  What I mean by that is that tattoo is so diverse and it varies so much from person to person that comparing the actions of people who are tattooed to people who aren’t is like saying everyone who drinks alcohol is a wife beating alcoholic.

Yet bad things still do happen once in a while, just as they do everywhere else with every other type of interest or activity.  This past Saturday night/Sunday morning, a tattoo party was just finishing up in San Leandro, California, when gunmen opened fire with semi-automatic weapons.  Three people were killed as a result.

First off, let’s just clear up the term “tattoo party”.  In the UK, a tattoo party often refers to a party thrown by underage people, in which a scratcher and willing “clients” will gather in a house and get tattooed illegally.  This party in San Leandro was not that type of party.  Apparently, police do not know who organised the party or whether the gunmen were even in attendance.  What they do know is that it was advertised on Facebook as a party for tattoo enthusiasts to meet and show off their tattoos.

‘The party, publicized on Facebook as a Tattoo Party for tattoo enthusiasts wanting to mingle and show off their tattoos, apparently drew hundreds to the semi-remote, industrial location. From the sound of it, the three fatalities were among three people who may have known each other: 19-year-old S.F. State student and S.F. resident Shanice Kiel, 16-year-old Lanisha Worthington, and 23-year-old Josh Alfred of Oakland.’

It sucks that things like this have to happen, but sometimes they just do.  And it doesn’t matter if it’s at a tattoo party or a hip hop concert or a craft show.  Violence can erupt anytime at any place and in times like these, I just hope that justice is served for the families of the victims.  Tattoo has been around for thousands of years and it has not left a trail of dead in its wake.  The important thing for any doubter or naysayer to realise is that tattoo is and always has been an art form that resists any type of pigeonholing or negative association.  Anyone who doubts that needs to investigate the facts.

When I hear the name Fonzy, I have to admit that I don’t immediately think about tattoo.  I think about Henry Winkler’s character of the same name from the television series Happy Days.  Well, the truth is that Fullerton, California based tattooist Fonzy is taking the name in a whole new direction and given some time, tattoo just might be the only thing I think about when I hear the name Fonzy.

Fonzy has been tattooing for about ten years, though he wasn’t initially focussing all his energy on it.  He comes from a diverse artistic background that focussed on murals.  As of late 2010, however, Fonzy opened up Greaskull Tattoo Alley and really started to put the bulk of his creative and artistic talents toward tattoo.  The results are tattoos that often incorporate portrait with Mexican Day of the Dead styles and they are stunning.  Gorgeous black and greys with just the right minimal touches of colour.

Fonzy is definitely an artist to keep an eye on.  Check out more of his stuff here.

It seems to me that although we already understand that tattoo is a part of the general artistic medium, all too often people’s attempts to do something more with tattoo just end up resulting in cheap attempts at whoring out the art form itself.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for taking tattoo and melding it into the greater artistic spectrum, but what I’m not in favour of is simply cashing in on the current popularity of tattoo in any way possible.

That’s why it’s nice to see a tattoo studio that I believe has their priorities in the right place.  St. Petersburg, Florida tattoo studio Neo Soul has been operating as a tattoo studio since 2006 under the artistic eye of tattooist Aaron Morgan.  In 2010, the shop relocated to a different area of St. Petersburg and Vita Lipari came onboard.  Together, Morgan and Lipari have transformed Neo Soul into a place where a variety of art forms converge, creating a truly creative and progressive atmosphere that isn’t typically found in your standard tattoo studio.

‘Neo Soul started via Aaron Morgan’s genius. He wanted to change the stigma surrounding the tattoo industry. In doing so, he has created an environment that people are drawn to. His work speaks for itself and is a staple in the community. From his original passion, he is beginning to branch out and explore graphic design and fine art. Change is progression and this one man show has turned into a full fledge artistic showcase that Neo Soul is proud to host.’

In addition to tattoos, a visit to Neo Soul can provide a customer with jewelry, local art, house wares, body care products, ceramics and even custom tea blends.  What I really like about all this is that the items that Neo Soul sells are very often from local artists and the items themselves aren’t simply an extension of tattoo – they are an extension of art.  It’s a nice change up from the standard image of what a tattoo studio is, can be or should be.  If you’re in the St. Petersburg area and you’re looking to check out a different take on the traditional tattoo studio, then check out Neo Soul!

It’s amazing to me that at a time when economies all over the world are struggling to stay afloat, that anyone anywhere would want to prevent someone from creating a method by which they could make a living.  Is it just me or is that absolutely insane?

Yet it continues to happen.  Again and again I read about places where people are attempting to start a tattoo business of their own, only to be held back by local governing bodies who should get their heads out of their asses and realise that now is not the time to ban businesses from opening.

Mayor Robert Myer of New Roads, Louisiana recently decided to draw up an ordinance that bans tattoo studios from opening.  The funny thing about this sudden idiotic decision is that it occurred right after New Roads resident Damon Manola applied for a license to tattoo in the town.  Manola’s parents have run a barber shop in New Roads for the last 40 years and Damon’s plan was to begin tattooing inside his parent’s place of business.

‘Mayor Robert Myer of New Roads drew up an ordinance banning tattoo parlors and places that pierce anything more than their customer’s ears. The ordinance surfaced right after Damon Manola applied for a license to tattoo in New Roads. The mayor’s move has many people questioning his motives.

New Image has been a barber shop on Main Street in New Roads for 40 years. The owners’ son has a slightly different talent than his parents. He is a tattoo artist.

“His idea was, ‘I can pursue my hobby and I can do it with my family at the same time,'” said Jill Craft, Manola’s attorney.

Manola hired Craft after he said the city of New Roads refused to grant him an occupation license to work inside his parent’s shop.’

I really don’t understand what motivates people to try and stop tattooists from performing their craft.  I guess it’s a sense of fear of the unknown, though it is completely pointless. It certainly doesn’t seem very American to me.  No one can make a law that will stop tattooists from working.  It might stop them momentarily as is the case in New Roads, but eventually logic will prevail and half-wits like Robert Myer will lose and lose big.

The idea of a picking a tattoo shop out when you are in need of a tattoo can be a difficult one.  Some of us know exactly where to look and what we’re looking for, others tend to just go wherever and get their tattoo done as long as the place is clean and reputable and others still just go anywhere – literally anywhere.  Basically the people who know exactly what they are looking for go exactly where they need to be and as far as they’re concerned, this blog post isn’t really directed at them.

Finding the right place to get tattooed can be a challenge, especially in a place like New York City.  The truth is, New York City has a ridiculous amount of insanely talented tattooists.  You just need to find them.  So I guess that’s your first lesson: do your research.  This blog post at Racked gives a brief but somewhat useful rundown of the most important things to consider before setting out to get a tattoo.  I do think however, that the Racked post makes a classic mistake right off the start, within the first three lines:

‘There are certain things in New York City that are harder to navigate than others, like the West Village, the G train, and finding a really good tattoo shop that won’t charge you an arm and leg for something stupid on your arm or your leg.’

Did you catch it? The idea that tattoo hunters need to find a tattooist who won’t charge “an arm and leg” is one of the true problems with people getting tattoos.  A tattoo is not something that you try to get the cheapest price on before committing to.  A tattoo is not like a t-shirt or a pair of shoes or a car.  Nowhere does the adage You Get What You Pay For ring more true than with tattoo.  My advice – if you actually want it – is hell yes, spend an arm and a leg for your tattoo if the artist is worth it.  I mean, don’t wander into some scabby back alley shop and pay $500 for some crummy flash that the dude has had hanging on his wall since the 70’s, but if you go and check out an artist’s work and they do sweet work and they happen to charge a bit more than the other guys…go for it.  Seriously, when it comes to tattoos, don’t cheap out and that’s pretty much my number one piece of advice for anyone out there contemplating getting some work done.

Maybe it’s just because I read so many different articles about tattoo, but the perception that I generally have of the media reporting on tattoo outside of the realm of actual tattoo magazines is that they don’t really seem to get it.  Not that there’s a whole lot to “get”, it’s just that the media generally views tattoo in two different ways.  First off, before they even talk about tattoo in depth they all have to assure us that tattoos are no longer just for rockstars, bikers and hooligans and that tattoos are actually now officially mainstream.  A sentiment that has been well known for years and years now, but hey, at least they’re trying to assure people that tattooed folks aren’t outlaws.  Better late than never, right?

Once they’ve gotten past the introduction, assuring us that tattoos are popular with “normal” people now, they then move on to one of two trains of thought.  Either they talk about the risk in getting tattooed because one day you might regret having the tattoo, which then segues into the rising popularity of laser tattoo removal, or they focus on the most extreme aspects of tattoo: people getting their eyes tattooed, people covering their faces in tattoo, people getting absolutely ridiculous novelty tattoos.  Somehow it all just seems like a way to reluctantly talk about the subject of tattoo without actually having to legitimise it.

The most recent example of exactly this type of media coverage is this article from the BBC.  As I mentioned yesterday, the 7th annual London Tattoo Convention took place this past week in London.  Rather than publish an article about the numerous amazing tattoo artists in attendance or the work that they do or even rather than writing an article that would somehow attempt to allow the average non-tattooed BBC reader to see tattoo in a new or different light, all that we get is a rehash of the two aforementioned mainstream media staples on tattoo.

To say that this is disappointing is an understatement.  I appreciate that the major media sources like the BBC give tattoo some exposure, but it’s 2011 folks, let’s elevate our game a bit, okay?

This weekend marks the 7th annual London Tattoo Convention.  Going by the guest list alone, it looks to be one serious gathering of tattoo talent.  So, because I’m not fortunate enough to be at the convention in person, I decided to pick an artist to profile who is in attendance at this weekend’s convention, Sweden’s very own Daniel Ekdahl.

Ekdahl does a whole host of styles, though he mainly focuses on Asian art: Japanese, Chinese, Tibetan – he does it all and he does it well.  His sleeve work is particularly impressive as well, but if you ask me, one of Ekdahl’s truly impressive abilities is his placement.  A great tattoo artist knows how to use the human body’s numerous twists and turns, bulges and bumps to their advantage and to incorporate them into the tattoo itself.  Ekdahl does this quite exceptionally and I particularly appreciate that in his portfolio his work is highlighted by the fact that he has tattooed a wide variety of body shapes and sizes and with each of these tattoos, he has made the bodies as much a part of the art as the actual art itself.

Not to sell his other work short, Ekdahl also has some really superb portrait work, though he claims he doesn’t typically do too many portraits anymore.  Too bad because from what I can tell, he’s no slouch with what is arguably one of the toughest types of tattoo to pull off.

Ekdahl has been tattooing since 1997 and can currently be found tucked away in his hometown of Strängnäs, Sweden is his tattoo studio, Daniel Tattoo, which he opened in 2005.  So far, things look to be going smoothly for Daniel Ekdahl and I’m sure that the best is yet to come.  I wish him all the best and I really hope that one day soon I’ll make it to Sweden!

It’s unbelievable to me that some people can commit murder over things of little to no value.  Sixteen months ago in Greenbelt, Maryland, 16-year-old Jericka Chambers was shot and killed by family friend Rydell Estep.  The 21-year-old Estep had been arguing with Chambers over a bottle of green tattoo ink.  Both Chambers and Estep wanted the ink and witnesses reported seeing them snatching the bottle back and forth before Estep pulled out a gun and shot Chambers once in the head.

‘Full of life and a great swimmer, that’s how Jericka’s family describes her. It’s now been 16 months since she was murdered. Today the long and painful trial came to an end.’

‘The two were reportedly arguing that summer night over the tattoo ink. They each snagged the ink away from each other outside of her Greenbelt apartment, before Estep pulled out a gun and shot her once in the head.

The Bladensburg high school freshman wanted another tattoo to go with one she already had of a butterfly, similar to the one her cousin now has. At least two people witnessed the incident and testified, including Estep’s own twin brother.’

As of today, Estep has been convicted of the murder of Jericka Chambers and will be sentenced next month.  He faces a life sentence with no chance of parole.

No one wants to see anyone killed over any type of disagreement, but it must be especially painful for the family and friends of Jericka that she was killed over something as minor as a bottle of tattoo ink.  Hey, we all love tattoos, but getting killed over a desire to get one is something that no one can understand.  This was certainly a senseless death and I can only hope that Jerika’s family and friends can now take some sort of comfort, however minor, that justice has been served.

Tattoos it seems, are by their very nature controversial.  I don’t know why, but they are always tied up in some sort of debate or another and have been ever since they were introduced into modern society.  Some people just can’t get over the fact that tattoos exist and they will always continue to exist.  There is no way to stop them and all efforts to do so are entirely futile.

Since March of 2009, Ryan and Laetitia Coleman of Mesa, Arizona have been having their own experience with a city council that refuses to acknowledge tattoo as a legitimate business.  The couple were denied a business permit to open their tattoo studio, Angel Tattoo.  Numerous residents of Mesa felt that a tattoo studio would bring in more crime and gang activity.  The Colemans decided that they weren’t going to take the denial of opening their own business lightly.  In April of 2010, they filed a lawsuit against the city of Mesa, alleging that their First Amendment right of freedom of expression had been violated.  They lost that lawsuit and then promptly appealed.  The state appeals court heard arguments for the case on September 15th of this year, and the final verdict of the case is still pending.  But despite the Coleman’s insistence that being denied the ability to open a tattoo business in the city of Mesa is a crime against their First Amendment rights, some people don’t feel that this was the best angle to take on the issue.

‘Mark Walters, owner of the Tempe business Living Canvas Tattoos, heavily supports a tattoo artist’s expressional rights but argues shops in the Valley should be regulated.

“This is a non-regulated industry in Arizona so there has to be a cutoff point about what the freedom of expression is,” Walters said. “And if the state or the city doesn’t want to allow a tattoo shop they should have that right to not allow it for whatever reason they see fit.”’

‘Third year law student Sarah Giles said tattoos in general are definitely a form of expression but a tattoo shop is more of a business and the couple in Mesa would have a better chance going with an alternative approach.

“I think you might have a better argument saying that the city is infringing on their right to operate a business and to make money and support their families,” Giles said.’

However, there is also the case of Johnny Anderson, who sued the city of Hermosa Beach over being denied the right to open a tattoo studio.  Anderson had also argued that his First Amendment rights were being violated and ended up winning the case.  Undoubtedly, I side with the Colemans and the likes of Johnny Anderson on this issue, but what do you think?  Is tattoo a part of your First Amendment right to express yourself?

It’s hard enough being a tattooist who runs their own shop, but when supposedly dependable agencies like power and gas suppliers beat you down, everything gets a hell of a lot more hectic and difficult.  British tattooist Kevin Bradford learned this the hard way when British Gas dropped him a power bill for £1,422 (USD$2,206). He was understandably not very happy.  Compared to the £40 a month that Bradford typically spends on electricity, this new and downright massive bill certainly wasn’t very logical.

When Bradford called to complain, he was told that the bill was correct and that previous bills he had been issued had actually been under-estimated.  But Bradford knew that there was no way that he ever could have used the amount of power that British Gas was telling him that he had used.

‘Mr Bradford, who has been running his tattoo studio in Church Street, Uckfield, for three years, had the smart meter fitted in the spring.

The meters, which remotely record gas and electricity use, are to be fitted to every home in Britain by the end of 2020.

It is hoped they will help cut energy use as well as put an end to estimated bills.

“British Gas said I had used over 10,000 units in under two months,” said Mr Bradford.

“But my daily usage is three to five units per day on average so it is impossible to use that amount of electricity in that timescale.”‘

Eventually, things started to get ugly when Bradford rightly refused to pay.  He was told that if he did not pay by September 22nd, his studio would be disconnected from further use of power.  Not only that, but British Gas was well prepared to send locksmiths and the police in order to gain entry into Bradford’s studio, should he continue to resist the payment.  Eventually, British Power realised that they had in fact, made a mistake and called off the disconnection as well as issuing a new bill to Bradford.

‘Now the company has apologised for the problems Mr Bradford faced in resolving the issue.

“We are investigating what went wrong in this case as a matter of urgency and will be working with Mr Bradford to achieve a satisfactory outcome,” it said in a statement.’

Glad to see that this is all sorted now, but man, what a headache.