So you want a new tattoo.....
Is it your first? Is it one of many? An add on? A cover up? Does it say anything about you without having to speak? Will this tattoo resolve something inside you? Will it bring you confidence or courage? Is it a symbol of honor or a memorial? Will you be more accepted or more alienated or both? Is it a tattoo worn to the "dress to impress" cocktail hour? Will it win you that first date? The curious mark of not giving a f@*k......but not giving up?
After many hours of tattooing I've witnessed a myriad of answers to these classic questions. I'm grateful for the knowledge each person has shared with me by inviting me to be a part of their lives. Not just for the good times but for the difficult times as well leaving an indelible mark that represents a rite of passage. Everyone has their own interpretation on what getting a tattoo means. Everything from battle hard to self loathing and everything in between. I can't speak for other tattooers but, the one thing that resonates with me in All these tattoos is the cycle of growth and healing. I often tell my clients that a pot without cracks cannot shine any light.
My Work
ABOUT ME
I grew up military, so I moved around a lot. Around 10 years old at a school off base I discovered I could make "tattoos" with a little bit of water and a colored pencil. I started off free handing on a few of my close classmates. By that afternoon I had "tattooed" most of the class and half the kids on the bus. I was kind of shy, so it was a pretty cool feeling to spend a little time doing something fun with kids I knew and kids who didn't normally talk to me. It was the last day of school for me because we were moving to another town. This experience showed me the power of creativity. Little did I know this set the stage for me later in life!
After we moved, I forgot about the "tattoo" pencils. Fastforward to the early nineties. I lived in a town filled with incredible artists and musicians. Still searching for "the" job a friend of a friend saw my paintings and thought I would enjoy tattooing. It wasn't really my thing, but I went to the shop where he worked and watched for the first time in person how a tattoo is made. It was a woman getting a small, stemmed rose on her chest. The environment was a bit tense filled with loud metal music and a crotchety old man who ran the show.
I watched intently as he carved the outline blocking out all the chaos around us. The machine was loud and somewhat intimidating. He worked efficiently, neatly and methodicaly. Each color and shade making the flower come to life. He mixed off his caps and the final highlights made magic. The art called to me, but I put it off for another year. I had moved again to a bigger city with a much broader tattoo scene. A few tattoos were made in the kitchen until I built the confidence to ask for a real gig in a shop.......Since then, I've worked mainly on the east coast and the mediterranean but have worked off and on the west coast as well. It's been a wild ride meeting and working with ALL walks of life.
If you want to know more, you'll have to wait for the book or come by and get a tattoo! Looking forward to working with you.
Best regards,
Sam