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I was first introduced to tattooing in 1988 when I met an artist that was doing tattoos around my hometown at tattoo parties. He had seen some of my artwork and asked me to draw some flash art for him and soon asked me to accompany him at a few house parties so I could be on hand to draw what people wanted.
I picked up what I could by watching him and soon after I built my first machine. Back then it was impossible for me to get my hands on any real tattoo equipment so I worked with what I had. Soon after I had all my friends lining up to get tattooed since most of them knew I had some artistic talent.
When I was 16 years old I tried to get a job that had just opened in my hometown. It was the first shop to open in the area, but because of state laws you had to be 18 years old to work at a tattoo shop. Even though the owner would not hire me because of my age he was nice enough to let me sit in on a back piece he was working on. After seeing what could be done with real equipment, I was hooked.
Soon after I got my hands on a real machine and was tattooing as many people as I could, learning everything I could. It was very hard finding anyone who would teach me anything back then so the only thing I could do was teach myself. When I was 19 years old I finally had an opportunity to work at a shop and be licensed, so I jumped on it. I worked at that shop for 10 years, learning a lot about the art of tattooing and the business.
After feeling like I was at a standstill I left the shop and went searching for a shop where I could excel at my art further. I went to work at another shop for a few years, but it wasn't the place for me. It's been 20 years now since I started tattooing and I've finally found a home here at Action Ink. I've been here for 2 years and hopefully many more. I am very happy to be working with other talented artists at a great shop with a great atmosphere. As for me, tattooing is a constant learning experience and it's something I will never get tired of.
(Click on a thumbnail to view full-size picture)
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