Shotsie Gorman

Hello!

My name is Kim, and I'm a tattoo customer. I've got 8 tattoos from my head down to my feet. I came here hoping for some advice. I'll try to keep this short-ish, But, I would love some insight.

Background: Over a year ago, I'd scheduled a tattoo with a shop in town because a friend of a friend worked there. Before the appointment time, the artist we'd booked with quit, so, the owner of the shop offered to keep our appt, and do the tattoo (It was an illustration from The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, not something another artist had drawn.) A few months ago, it came time to get another tattoo. And, I called up that shop, and booked a consult with the owner (As he'd done my last one, and I like being consistent.) He drew up a sketch of what I wanted (A peacock feather on my side.) but, when it came time to book an appointment, he was booked out for 3-6 months. SO, he told me to book with any of his artists that were available sooner, and they could do the tattoo.

I booked my appointment, and had the outline done. And, I scheduled a return to do the color, with the same artist a month later.

This brings us to January, my appt to get the coloring done, was set for January 20th. On January 10th, David Bowie died. (This ties in, I promise.) And I called the shop, and asked my artist, instead of doing the coloring, could we do a Bowie tattoo, and reschedule the peacock feather fill in for the following month. He agreed, and on January 20th, I went in and got the tattoo done, and re-booked the peacock feather for February.

Fast forward to today. The shop called to let me know that the above artist is no longer with the shop. The woman on the phone said that the shop would keep my appt, and have one of their artists do the work, or, that I could reach out to the original artist (via his preferred social network) to schedule the appt with him.

What is the appropriate response here?

Insight would be appreciated. I'm not sure what the proper thing is, since several artists have had hands in the creation of this tattoo.

Thank you!

OK here is the proper way to act if you started with that artists you should seek them out. You never know if he or she was treated with respect and how they come to leave the shop. Seek them out to finish what they started. It bad manners for the shop to immediately try to pass you off to someone else to do the work. The shop owner is just being passive aggressive. Trying to hold the money in their shop. If you choose this artist based on their quality or style. Don't let them shove any body on you. Respect your self your choices and the artist who created the work. However if you just walked in and let whomever was available to tattoo you then you really don't care about your work and you should continue to behave that way...

Well this weekend I'll be doing my FREE unblocking creativity seminar on Sunday at 5pm !!!

good for all creative people! Any medium including writing! I will be presenting it at: at the Portland Or expo!

I will have new watercolor paintings for sale! new prints of limited illustrations!

I am taking appointments now fast filling up !

call 707-299-0882 to book time for your dream tattoo by Master tattooist Shotsie!

Kristine Gorman will be reading `her visionary woman! " TAROT CARDS!

Don't pass on this opportunity come for a mind ride!

ANd a mark so you won't ever forget it!

portlandtattooexpo.com

portlandtattooexpo.com

Try Temple University's "skin and Ink Collectors!" a doc fromm the eightees

It's courious to me that anyone would be suprised by spiritual and religious tattoos being part of the tattoo world. It is, it's place of origin. Tattooing did not start ouit as a political tool,nor a purely decorative one.

It is in it's essence a way of altering the body to represent the inner life's changes. or as in "Right of Passage Rituals" Passage from one age to the next from childhood to adulthood, from death of a loved one,to moving on passed the mourning stage. It has to do with totemic practices where there is a beilieved passage of the spirits of a Slain enemy or a loved ones energy to the bearer. Get a tattoo like UNcle Bill's? well that is totemism in a modern form without the concious idea that you are calling forth Uncle Bill's energy his "power"in you when you wear this mark.

All great religious forms have had rituals inwhich there is blood letting for instance the Roman Catholic Confirmation has a small slap on the face by the Bishop to confirm you into adulthood and commitment to the church-- IN the old practice this would have been a cut to your face producing blood. "killing of the old self to release the new born soul!" It is the death and resurection and so are all tattoos a kin to this idea. So on and so on Tattooing has always been the tool of the Shaman -- a tool in magical service to the "HEALING" process of the individual.

Early Christians Like the "Coptics" when persecuted by the Romans; and I mean sent to the Lions for sport. They had to have a small crucifix tattooed on the inside of their left wrists --this meant they could enter the secret meetings in hidden places -- and could not be Romans. This practice still exists today.

Most pilgrams to the holy lands of the world collect tattoos as proof they were there. In oour culture there are no clear cut rituals so tattooing reaches into the place of our deepest connection with the fears and desires of mankind to his spiritual self. Athiest or no this is a place where we all wonder the deppest thoughts of why we are here? what is purpose? what happens after death? What is love?

Although you may not be aware of its origin --I'd say most all images relate to this process! Prhaps Not specifically but in the act of Doing or collecting a tattoo you are doing and collecting a spiritual amulet a way of saying you are protected you are Human and you are Mortal.

Anyway that's my two cents!

Shotsie

So whats the story here is there a date and time established for a gathering???

Vitligo is far more than a simple loss of pigment, it is an auto immune disorder. The body sees the bodies natural melanocytes as invading substances and begins to attack them. It's related to other auto immune diseases and has no clear path of origin or currently no clear path of soving. It can lie dormant for months sometimes years even regenerate and reimpigment spontaneously. Often people with this issue suffer small cuts on pigmented areas and it can cause a loss of pigment and start a larger loss in that areas affected.

Tattooing over areas or patches of white skin can cause areas of hyperimpigmentation on the borderline between the tattooed area and the exisisting area of pigment loss (creating a ring aroound the area.) In addition exposure ot the sun can cause loss of pigmernted areas surround the tattoo. Blacks and very dark skinned people can find some relief with hiding the depigmented areas as long as thier skin is not exposed to the sun.

In some cases the gene TYR, which makes the melanocyte more susceptible to the immune system in vitiligo, also makes the melanocyte more susceptible to the immune system in the skin cancer malignant melanoma. Vitilgo activated oin a tattooed are can actually pull the pigment from the tattoo as well.

20th Annual Tattoos & Blues Event Schedule

Thursday Feb 24th-

10 AM- APT Seminar- Cost is $75 for non-members and free for members

7 PM- Bert’s Roast- Cost is $30 per person

Friday Feb 25th-

10 AM- Booth Set Up

12 PM- Doors Open

5PM- Fire and Wheels

8:30- Wild Fire Dancers in Lounge

9PM- 1am- Welcome Party In Lounge with Side of Blues

10pm- Ballroom Closed

Saturday Feb 26th-

11AM- Doors Open

Contest registration Opens

2PM- Fire And Wheels

3:45PM- Contest Registration Closes

5 PM- Tattoo Contest

Best Traditional Tattoo

Best Black & Grey Tattoo

Best Individual Male- Small one sitting individual tattoo

Best Individual Female- Small one sitting individual tattoo

Best Overall

Best Sleeve

Best Flash Sheet

6PM- Uncle Mark’s Scorched Earth Blues Band

8:30- Wild Fire Dancers

9PM- Contest Awards

10PM-1AM Side of Blues

11PM- Doors Close

Sunday Feb 27th-

11AM- Doors Open

Contest Registration Opens

2PM- Fire and Wheels

3:45- Contest Registration Closes

5PM- Tattoo Contests

Most Unusual Tattoo

Best Color Tattoo

Best Portrait

Best Back Piece

Best Tattoo of the Show

Best Booth

6PM- Roger “Hurricane” Wilson

9PM- Contest Awards

9:30- Doors Close

After Burt Rodregues passed the batton to Izzy the show has remained steady busy. Held in the Flamingo Hotel in Santa Rosa CA this show is like a walk through the past.

It has a limited number of booths and most of the artists have been doing this show for 15 years or more. It brings in a tremendous number of attendess and all the booths stay busy busy busy! It's small scale and the location gives it a strong sense of camaraderie Unlike the caddilac shows where there are hundreds of over-priced booths slews of killer artists and no one walks through the door to get tattooed as a result of outrageous entry fees and poor marketing.

There are free Blues bands playing in the lounge during the show. The food is good quality and the rooms are adequate and cheap. The Flamingo is a little long in the tooth but it's clean and affordable. This year there will be a special roast for it's founder Burt Rodreregus. Henry Golfield myself and many other artists from all over the US are attending there are interesting vendors as well. The supply area is cut off from non professional tattooers.

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I am in my 32 year as well Deb what the Fuck? Didn't think my back would hold out all this time! Haa still slingin with the best of them A huge Kudo for you for sticking and keeping it real!

Back in 1981 I did a tiger tattoo that won an award at that years National Convention. In those days the only magaziines covering tattooing were Easy Rider and nude mens magazines. So a picture of it ends up in OUI magazine. I come to San Francisco on my first visit to get tattooed by Greg Irons at Henry Goldfields Shop on Broadway. I walk in and see Henry call to him, as we had never met. I say Hello I am Shotsie Gorman. You are him he says Wait a minute I have something for you. He reaches into a drawer and pulls out a small object which he throws across the room in my direction. " What the Fuck is this "I say and there on the floor are a stack of cut out pictures from OUI magazine of the tiger I did bound together in rubber bands. "Every asshole sailor that comes through that door has asked for that tattoo and your the fucking pain in the ass that did it!" My first meeting with the great Henry Goldfield!

Hey Deb Thas funny as well. YEah the hALEDON SHOP CAME SHORTLY AFTER THIS PLACE IN UNION CITY NJ. Nice to hear from you.

Shotsie

Thanks for sharing!

I remember visiting your shop in 1979

That was quite the area.

I caught a ride with a Santerian priest - who was in a bike club out of Haledon--- all the way to Fla.

BIRDMAN

Or a day in the life of a tattooist in 1978

At 4pm the sun was shinning nearly dead even into the window of the small tattoo shop on Kennedy Boulevard speaking of dead it was located just opposite the car rental that rented the white van to the first unsuccessful bombers of the World Trade Towers. Union City, NJ was not exactly exotic like Bombay nor was it cool like NYC for that matter it didn’t even seem like New Jersey it was more like little Cuba. Run by a soon to be convicted for corruption and extortion Italian wise guy, the not so honorable Mayor Musto.

The windows in question, where the sun was about to cook through, were grayish and gritty. Despite the efforts of the proprietor, that’s me by the way, to clean them often. I suspected it was probably from the crematorium just a few blocks up the boulevard. It gave me pause to think of somebody’s grandfather dusted across my window. So I always said “excuse me folks” when I washed it off and wished them a quick trip over the river Styx.

Although it could have been the carbon burning traffic on this snake like road, it was constant and as loud as two young Italian wannabe wise guys yakking up stories of hitting and robbing the trains in the transfer station in North Bergin and wanting to trade stolen goods for tattoos.

This strip down to Staten Island on the NY side was much later to be the haunted holy grounds of The Sopranos’ Godfather Tony.

It’s not what you think, a typical scummy little tattoo shop in a grimy small town in New Jersey. It was a small piece of heaven in 1978 for me. “Clean enough to eat off the floors” I’d say. The shop was only 12 feet across and 25 feet long and it held the universe. From the moment I opened the doors I had so much business I almost couldn’t handle it. I became fast friends with the local Santero, A Santeria Priest for those of you of the white bread persuasion. After that I was gold in the Cuban Community they watched out for me Cooked for me invited me to salsa dances and got tattooed as penance or prayers Santa Barbara, St Lazarus, Cryptic scrawl of Santeria spells all became my tween worlds my bread and butter. I was being taught to speak enough Spanish to ask what color and how much do you want to spend by a young lovely young Cuban woman without dancing legs in a wheel chair who sat with a talking Parakeet on her right shoulder that spoke more Spanish than I could, after four months I quit.

Speaking of Spanish speaking birds and other oddities of living in the land of the Mariolettos (Cubans let out of prisons and insane asylums a gift from Castro for the US State Department to give visas too. the Set on rickety boats to America. Those who made the crossing also made their way from Miami FL to Union City NJ. What was I saying? oh yes, I have to pull on your coat about the Birdman.

I had a slow day doing a couple of cryptic Santeria tattoos on friends of the local Santero. I was buzzing away on the last one when it started.

I had a wall separating the tattoo area from the front and a small security mirror to see who came through the door.

I heard this chirping. I was thinking it was a bird found it’s way into my shop. I looked up to the to see him, this guy chirping away. First long chirps with pause then rolling chirps all connected together.

He was wearing a cut off yellow windbreaker with out the usual wife beater shirt, and ripped jeans.

I called over the wall “I’ll be right with you pal.”

He just stuttered out another bird song.

Completing the tattoo I was doing, I collected my fee and walked through the door to the front.

“So what’s up?”

He pivoted, pulling down the jacket zipper turning his naked to the waist and tan lined body to me smelling of High Karate, yelling, he was,

“THE BIRDMAN!”

To prove it he had it emblazoned across his his back from shoulder to shoulder in eight inch tall Old English letters tattooed, that read,

B-I-R-D-N-A-N!

I say calmly, “OK Birdman, never acknowledging the eight inch missing M, What can I do for you.”

Pointing to a blank spot among the small bird tattoos wallpapering his arm, he said, rattling through his nose.

“Well! What do you think? I want a bird tattoo right here.”

There were birds the likes of hummingbirds as big as eagles and chickadees larger than crows, no accounting for scale, style, or skill. Although, he was working hard to fill with birds in every open space. Sort of like the driving style of New Jersey drivers if there is a space you fill it.

He shows me the picture of a whippoorwill whilst chirping the whippoorwills’ song or so he claimed. I never having seen or heard a whippoorwill took his word for it.

During the tattoo he entertained me by singing no less than 50 songs of various birds of North America, all while chewing on sunflower seeds. I didn’t bother putting on the stereo.

Someone else came through the door, as I was finishing up the tattoo. Birdman was donning his windbreaker; I strolled to the front to chat up the next client. He passed me singing a sad bird refrain and smiled and whispered passing.

“I’m the Birdman…”

The new customer and I walk to the work area. I look down to the clients black leather chair and there to my astonishment where Birdman was sitting, was a three inch,golden foil covered, chocolate egg!