Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention

Over the weekend of February 15 - 17th I was very fortunate to attend the Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention.  I am a huge fan of the art form and those who can create beautiful works of body art.   I marvel at how these artists can use needles to bring to life the most amazing pieces of art on human canvas.   I enjoyed seeing an amazing array of talented artists doing what they do best - creating art for loyal fans.  I could list the artists for days, but some of those that caught my attention are:

Tim Atwell (@t_atwell) - some beautiful water color pieces Ricky Borchert  (@hatchetricky) - gothic full-body work that is hard to believe Jesse Rix (@Jesse_rix) - blew my mind with his 3-D works! Tony Scientific (@scientific11) - gorgeous black and white work Alessandravvv (@alessandravvvtattoo) - her pieces seem alive  If you aren't familiar with these artists, I encourage you to check out their Instagram pics and many of the other artists who exhibited at the event, some of them well known Ink Masters and others just as gifted but perhaps not as well know (yet).  In total, the scope of their collective talents is inspiring! 

https://villainarts.com/tattoo-conventions-villain-arts/philadelphia-tattoo-arts-convention/

"I might as well be myself, everyone else is taken."

"I might as well be myself, everyone else is taken."……. Oliver Stone

It’s the look I get when I first meet someone – especially someone I’ve interacted with professionally and by phone – I don’t fit the buttoned up corporate model sometime ball-buster that my role requires….in fact, I’m irreverent, find humor in almost anything, love a good gab-fest, and my hair is any color of the rainbow you can imagine at any given time.

I get an equally quizzical look from my friends and colleagues when I show them my art. They can’t quite reconcile the chatty, bubbly professional by day that they come to know with the artist who creates these dark, intense, emotional pieces.

But this is who I am. My left brain is on active duty during the day and my right brain – the creative side – gets to come out on weekends, at night when I may go out walking, or during my many travels to off-beat locations. When I’m painting or sketching, I’m tapping into what I like to think of as my humanity and the stories the pieces are meant to tell - the emotions that remind me I’m alive and subject to the same joy, fear, pain, love and connectedness to others, death and loneliness, and everything in between that we all face – all that I strive to express at one time or another through my pieces.

It’s an extraordinary experience to take an image from your mind and see it develop in front of you, guided by your hands and fingers.

A Video: Painting the Studio...