Although South California (especially Los Angeles) was already known for black-and-gray prison-style tattooing, in North California, Eddy Reyes Sr popularized Chicano art by mixing aspects of Mexican culture, religion, and history with the street vibe of the West Coast of the United States. His meticulously crafted body art, made with fine-line needles, displays a delicate […]
Category: Black and Grey
Dearly Departed Tattoos: An Interview with Mark Clifford
Mark Clifford spent most of his life in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he was born in 1975. He held various jobs and played in a band, which led him and his bandmates to get tattoos and ignited his interest in this art form. Clifford started working as a tattooer in 2001 and co-owned a tattoo shop […]
A Talk with Gyan about His Tattoos That Look Like Etchings
Gyan, a 31-year-old from Seoul, studied graphic design in college and later worked in a studio producing posters, books, and videos. He worked as a freelance illustrator before becoming a tattoo artist a few years ago. His love for drawing and imagery led him to believe he could translate well to tattooing, and he gets […]
The 5th Seaside Tattoo Show at Ventura County Fairgrounds
The first-ever Ventura County Fair was held in 1874 at the conclusion of the local San Miguel Days agricultural festival; 149 years later, Christina Diaz organized the 5th Seaside Tattoo Show at the Fairgrounds in a Quonset hut named San Miguel. The Pacific Ocean is so close to this venue that it can be heard […]
Dianne Mansfield’s Eye of the Beholder
The master photographer Dianne Mansfield’s “Eye of the Beholder” has been released in hardback format by Raking Light Projects. Mansfield has documented the tattoo community for over four decades in a raw and compelling manner, capturing the reality of a tattooer’s life and work. From photos of Pacific Islanders to images taken at major conventions, it is clear […]
Snakes and Dragons: A Chat with Tattooer Intat
Intat served almost two years in the military after dropping out of college. His index finger was nearly amputated due to a terrible hand accident he suffered while on active duty. After finishing his military service, he studied tattooing and developed more effective hand-use methods since he had lost most of his sense of touch […]
Charlie Cartwright: The Godfather of Black-and-Grey Fine Line Tattooing
On my way to Charlie Cartwright’s home in Modesto, California, I was excited to be conducting a rare interview with the pioneer of single-needle tattooing. Cartwright (plus Jack Rudy and Freddy Negrete) changed the tattoo scene’s course; better yet, they helped build it to what it is today. All of them were inspired by 20th-century […]