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Petri, great topic with a lot to think about. That's a really good Cliff Raven quote, too! It's strange, too, because I've been thinking a little bit about blackwork tattooing lately as I've been reading up on plains Indians (this is a really fantastic book on the Blackfeet, by the way if anyone has any interest) and learning about some basic things, especially how artwork reflected their beliefs and what was important in their lives.. seeing some old photos of the men and women, and gathering little tidbits about the importance of tattoos across different groups. Which also ties in to the sun dance that the Blackfeet participated in, incorporating some serious piercing… Anyway. I think this topic is pretty huge but I'll try keep it short. In my opinion, with tattoos, we're all struggling to apply ten million things to our bodies, most of which we’ll never fully understand. Aside from our struggle to reconcile our own mind and spirit with our physical world, we obviously latch on to art that we can identify with, be it music, tattoos, or the argument could even be made for clothing. And so much of it is ingrained in our culture and subconscious, it's tough to step outside those parameters, tattoo or otherwise. I do love blackwork tattoos and I do appreciate what those (growing) few have done and are doing by exploring different styles of the artwork. I do think it suits a lot of people but I think there's a certain... not problem, but maybe an uncertainty, when it comes to co-opting various styles and designs from other cultures. It's powerful and striking and instantly more "meaningful" or "exotic" than traditional western tattoos, but sometimes what happens is just a bunch of borrowing from other cultures. Now -- there's not necessarily anything wrong with it and, in fact, there's something very American -- and very human -- about that. We consume and incorporate and for the most part it's to understand and gain knowledge. And in that way, we create a new tattoo language, which is really exciting and maybe even necessary. All of this is to say, I’ve had a real, growing interest in blackwork/native tattooing as I’ve gotten older. And I think it’s because I’ve made myself think about things a bit more, try to understand the whys of tattooing and expression; whys that probably won’t ever be fully answered. I think folks that exploded the possibilities for our modern times, like Leo Zulueta, and those that are building on that foundation, like Thomas Hooper, have the right idea. When I mentioned “co-opting” and “borrowing” I didn’t mean it in the negative, I think that’s just our nature because we’re all trying to understand something we can’t put our finger on. Who knows – maybe as I get older I’ll get really into black-only tattoos. I identify a lot with both Celtic and American Indian designs but maybe that’s my own subconscious connecting slivers of my ancestry to my geography to my own search for meaning. I’m glad for the renewed interest in tribal tattoos, I just keep my fingers crossed people will treat it with respect.

Hey all. We have Chad Koeplinger coming to guest with us here at Allstar Tattoo Limerick city in Ireland this coming April. This will be Chads first time working in Ireland so it is a very rare opportunity. If you are interested in getting Some work done from Chad call the shop on 00353(0)61409439 , email [email protected] or call into the shop to set it up.He is booking up pretty quick so be fast!! Thanks

I worked for him for the time I lived in NYC and had a great time working for him. He new I was into vintage tattoo memorabilia and would bring old flash, machines and photos for me to look at. This was especially great since it was his begining issues of IT that got me into Bert Grim, Todd and Shaw and he would bring in stuff for me to check out and read every few days. I had never worked for an owner who did more to put people in my chair and make sure that all the tattoo tourist who came to check out the mystique that was Fun City sat down with one of the guys working there and went home with a permanent reminder of what tattooing was like before shops mainly populated strip malls. I know that many don't like his ways or manner but one thing he taught me was that you should never forgets who you are and start believing what you hear about yourself and that if you can't have a good laugh about your life you probably aren't living much of one.

Hey Avery, yeah Phil said allot about Tatt's but please read between the lines in the book and remember that Phil was a quirky kind of guy and Tatt's was ahead of him by a long shot, not only in the "industry" but also in the Chicago tattoo politic's of his era which made Phil put a slant and maybe a slander on Tatt's. There is a much deeper Phil/ Sam Steward/ Phil Adros to know and I hate the thought of turning this post around into a he said she said about Phil but it should be clarified that Tatt's was more of Phil's dogging competition at the time he wrote the book and Phil was looking for some payback. Phil wrote lots of stuff on many topic's and was many things in his life. Here is a bit more into the persona of Phil in his last interview before he died, Phil was much of the "set" in the art world much further than the tattoo side. This is not to mention darker stuff like why he was "dismissed" from his position as a teacher before his venture into tattooing. Tatt's walked a walk that some today would find difficult and his "folk art" was such that it stood the test's and maybe exceeded most and this is not to mention the amazing company he kept in tattooers of his time. Here is a peek into Phil's last interview; glbtq >> Special Features >> Samuel Steward, 1993 Not trying to be shit or nuthin, just want to illustrate how "artist's" can be when ya get too many in the kitchen. Again, don't want to side track this post about Shaw and I feel not matter how insignificant a contribution whether past or present, as long as it's a positive one, it is a contribution non the less.

OK. Due to the Jonathan Shaw topic (here) I thought I will get some conversation going on about blackwork. I will just call everything that has spawned from Tribal style work blackwork. My favorites are Jun Matsui (3 pic), Thomas Hopeer (4 pic) and the likes. Too many to name. Marisa Kakoulas has a great info piece in the article relating to her book Black Tattoo Art: Modern Expressions of the Tribal. I will quote it here. Needles and Sins Tattoo Blog | Black Tattoo Art Book Release I really love the part where mister Raven said And I think that is what really draws me to this style aswell. How a great black work backpiece for example makes the human seem like something else. A myth perhaps. Some type of otherworldly hero. And it doesn't just have to link the wearer to something old. Like for example the Leo Zulueta backpiece (1 pic, Rory is the one in the right) on Rory Keating conveys a feeling similar to Queequeg from Moby Dick (Queequeg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) when for example the one by Volker (2 pic) is a futuristic anti goverment operative who bears the mark of the resistance. It's his armor of choise. But both have a strong romantic feel to them. The chosen ones. It fits (when done right) the wearer perfectly. Perhaps better than any other style of tattooing. Do you agree or disagree? edit. The title should be Blackwork, not black work

I find Royboy to be one of the most fascinating examples of "Tattoo Celebrity" out there. His videos were once reviewed as "little more than proof of possessions for his insurance company with liberal dashes of racism and bad tattooing". I should know since I wrote that review :D Yet he seems to really love tattooing. And speaking about himself in third person. Shawn approves. hahaha

and i raise you: "it get's late a night, a man wants some loving, and if there's no one around, you just have to love yourself! (to hand) i love you! (hand talking) i love you too!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cJoiyOrcW8 "we are the kkk! we're black, jewish, and gay! we're here in New York City and i think we're gonna stay! hellllllooooooooooooo Manhattan!" i just met him for the second time last week, celebrating my 10 year anniversary of seeing him live and my 5 spoken word performance (i've seen Rollins Band too).

Well, at least I'm not the first to say it. Good GOD, his tattoos were fugly, but I loved that magazine. Yes, I found his famewhoring annoying (he was almost like an early version of Kat in that way), but at the same time, those mags had several pieces in every single issue that made me stop and stare. The same cannot be said for many mags today, so yeah...begrudging props.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCAJUgOzpNU

Huge sections of script on the ribs--in the shape of an owl!

Deb thats so awesome..you and Don are some of the best people in this business..Congrats

32 fucking years wow...too bad you cant remember the name you could get that shit tattooed on you. congrats we are all better for people like you doing this shit right. thanks for being you and doing tattoos.