We interviewed tattoo legend Takahiro “Taki” Kitamura; we are now in San Jose, California, for his studio’s 20th-anniversary celebration. In addition to permanent and guest artists tattooing in the shop, there is street art, a panel discussion, an art display, and much more. State of Grace studio collaborated with Empire Seven Studios, the Japanese American […]
Tag: California
The Rebirth of Old Crow Tattoo: An Interview with Owner Hannah Wolf
Old Crow Tattoo studio was founded in 2009 by Philip Milic and acquired by tattoo artist Hannah Wolf in 2020. Now situated at 5250 College Ave in Oakland, California, it is a female-run studio with resident artists Hannah Wolf, Laura Taylor, Natasha Tsozik, and international guest tattooists. During an in-person conversation with Wolf, we learned […]
The 2021 Feather Falls Tattoo Expo
After the last year and a half without tattoo events, it was a breath of fresh air to be attending one, especially in California. Held on May 7 – 9, 2021, at Feather Falls Casino in Oroville, north of Sacramento, the expo was packed with spectators in the banquet hall—giving the impression that tattoo demand will […]
Kari Barba: The Queen of Modern Tattooing
Kari Barba has been tattooing for four decades. She was one of the few female tattooists in the 1980s and has devoted herself to promoting gender equality and advancing tattoo hygiene standards to what they are today. She is tattoo royalty and the co-owner of Outer Limits, the longest-running tattoo studio in America and the […]
High-Precision Realism: Interview with Tattooist Denis “Tidan” Torikashvili
Hailing from South Russia, specifically Rostov-on-Don, Denis “Tidan” Torikashvili began his tattooing career in 1997. That’s 23 years ago when there was barely an industry, acceptance, and fair working conditions. Tidan has had many setbacks and restarts, from moving and working in Moscow to London—the latter getting a big break at NR Studio in 2017. […]
Interview with Celebrated Tattooer Tommy Montoya
Tommy Montoya has seen firsthand both the underground and the mainstream of the tattoo scene. Recognized for his 20-year commitment to West Coast black-and-gray tattooing, Montoya, a California-based artist, rose to international prominence after appearing on the television show “NY Ink” (2011–2013). Tommy Montoya and Ryan Ashley Malarkey headlined the 2019 “Feather Falls Tattoo Expo” […]
TTTism Presents the 15th Annual Bay Area Tattoo Convention
The highly awaited Bay Area Tattoo Convention (presented by TTTism) was held on the weekend of May 16 to 18 at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Burlingame, three-minutes away from the San Francisco airport. Many tattooists in the Bay Area were ecstatic to be attending and bragging about it in their studios because of how […]
Old-School Charm at the Santa Rosa Tattoo Studio
After seeing the efficiently managed, 28th Santa Rosa Tattoo & Blues, the longest running tattoo convention in California, Scene360 was curious to meet up with co-organizer Daat Kraus who also owns and runs a studio by similar name, “Santa Rosa Tattoo” (originally established in 1978 by Bert Rodriguez). The shop is situated in a renovated […]
Nikko Hurtado: Work Smart and Be Grateful
We met up with tattooist Nikko Hurtado at the end of a warm-winter day at the conference hall, a building located across the Golden State Tattoo Expo in Pasadena, where he and other prominent colleagues Joe Capobianco and BJ Betts conducted workshops to aspiring artists. Hurtado, the event co-host and studio owner of Black Anchor, […]
The 28th Annual Santa Rosa Tattoos & Blues
Resulting in one of our favorite expos in the Bay Area so far, Santa Rosa & Blues is one of the longest running tattoo shows in the United States. Located at the historical Flamingo resort that formerly accommodated Hollywood star Jayne Mansfield in the 1960s. The event’s new ownership (since 2017) by long-time friends Daniel […]