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Sue Garcia | Featured Philadelphia Tattoo Artist

September 21, 2011

I met Sue Garcia for coffee on a warm, sunny afternoon. She is a model-pretty, slight woman with ice blue eyes and a quiet voice. She was a trooper, walking through a big, pretty field that I spied despite her concern about spiders. Funny then that I was the one freaking out when a leaf grazed my neck, but Sue was stoic.

Although we met to discuss Sue’s artistry and the path she took to get where she is today, the conversation started out with talk about our kids. Sue is an incredibly private person when it comes to her children, and as a mother, I respect that very much, so I will just say that her children are lucky to have a mother like her. She’s the kind of mom who is incredibly respectful of who her children are becoming, trusts in them and who they are very much, and receives back for that effort two pretty amazing sounding children. It’s just unfortunate that sometimes there are people out there who will judge based on their perceptions of what someone should be like and assume that a tattooed mom isn’t a good one. How very wrong those people are.

Eventually Sue and I did get onto the topic of her work. Sue started out doing caricatures at a Local Kids’ Theme Park. A company was recruiting from local high schools and taught her the way they wanted things done, and did those things she did. She worked there for a while, and impressed them so much that they enticed her to move to another park in another state.

However, when she got to said state, things did not exactly pan out the way that she was promised that they would, and she wound up with a roommate in the same situation, one who was starting on his own journey as a tattoo artist. He gave Sue her first tattoo, a Batman symbol on her mid-back. As he was getting into tattooing, going around to shops and looking for an apprenticeship, she went with him and her interest was piqued. She moved back to this area because she was not happy about the way things were going with regard to her work situation, but she took one thing away from that job: The assurance that she wanted to work in the field of art, in a hands on way.

When she returned, she heard about Amber, who was opening up a tattoo shop, who took Sue on as an apprentice. A series of events nearly prevented her from taking on the apprenticeship and worried her that it was a sign that she wasn’t supposed to do this (including bounding out of bed on 9/11 and tearing her ankle), she and Amber have been working together for ten years now. They work really well together and have the kind of relationship where it’s like having a second spouse.They’ve had artists and apprentices over the years in the shop, and today they have two additional tattoo artists in the shop as well as two apprentices. The shop is in an old mill with a fireplace and sounds like a pretty and inviting space. They’ve expanded into the second floor of the building as well. It’s set back from the street and has privacy walls for clients to be tattooed to afford them a bit more privacy. It’s set back from the street and showcases artwork as well as some antique pieces from Amber’s personal collection.

Sue’s style, both in her artwork on paper and in her tattooing, is definitely traditional, with bold colors, but with her own personal take on the art. She does a lot of painting and artwork in her studio, which she is currently creating for herself out of a need for more work space that is her own. She does sell her artwork and many of the pieces shown here are for sale. Sue feels that as an artist, she is constantly growing and learning, and often in her work tattooing something she was trying to achieve in her artwork will click and she’ll see a way to do it with her painting as well.

You can find Sue at Blue Velvet Tattooing at 132 E. Maple Avenue in Langhorne. You can reach them at 215-752-0995. The shop is open from 1pm to 7pm, and you can contact them to find out about Sue’s availability.

Tags: artist, philadelphia, philadelphia newborn photographer, philadelphia tattoo photographer, philadelphia tattoo photography, philadelphia tattooed parents, photographer, photography, portrait, tattoo, tattoo photographer, tattoo photography, tattooed parents
Posted in artist project, blog project, news, tattooed parents, tattoos | 9 Comments »

Shawn Dubin | Featured Philadelphia Tattoo Artist

May 4, 2011

On an overcast Monday, I had the pleasure of having a coffee, a croissant and a nice conversation with May’s featured tattoo artist, Shawn Dubin, of Moo Tattoo on South Street. Shawn was “introduced” to me (I put it in quotes because it was via internet. I thought of all kinds of corny words like “inter-met” that betrayed my geekiness but figured quotation marks would do) by a wonderful artist and mutual friend of ours, aaronwexler.com. Shawn and Aaron grew up together, doing artwork and having fun with a group of friends in the Overbrook Park area of the city. Aaron would say later that Shawn was the most naturally skilled, artistically. Shawn attended the High School for the Creative and Performing Arts in Philadelphia. He was accepted to a bunch of art schools, including SVA, which was his first choice. Alas, his parents vetoed that and Shawn headed to University of the Arts. Bored with the Fundamentals work of the first year, as he had been doing the same coursework for the previous two years in high school, Shawn ended his studies at UArts after a few months. He worked at Tower Records on South Street, and a friend began to teach him to tattoo. When the friend needed to replace a tattoo artist at his shop who’d been fired, Shawn was his first call and the rest, as they say, is history.

Shawn started out doing letters and Chinese characters. As he already understood the fundamentals of art, it did not take long before he was working on what he enjoys most today: illustrative tattoos. Shawn says that he doesn’t prefer working in either color or black and gray better, but that he does prefer to do the illustrative work. He enjoys doing the line work, figuring out where shading and lines can go to make the eye sees what it needs to see without muddying up the tattoo with too many teeny lines or superfluous stuff. When you look at his tattoos, you can pick them out as his. They have a whimsical quality, even though they might be dark (in subject matter, not tone). There’s something very unique about the designs, the linework and the subjects. I love the skeleton mom and dad dancing on their suburban street in front of the nuclear explosion, but not more than the heart hive and the pink haired girl. I’ve spent more than a few hours admiring his tattoos.

For the tattoos that Shawn wears himself, when I asked him if there was any overriding theme to them, he said that they all corresponded to important events in his life. He has a tattoo that he got when he finished a book he was illustrating, for example, and a tattoo for his mother that he got when she passed away.

Shawn isn’t just a tattoo artist, though. He was on a site called artconspiracy.com, before the days of DeviantArt.com and from there, hooked up with a few authors, for whom he’s illustrated books. All he had to hear was the author’s idea – “It’s a devil girl and a skeleton boy, and they’re both in high school” and he knew that was a project he would do. He’s also written and illustrated books of his own. Shawn’s an avid comic guy, too. When I confessed my recent foray into the world of teenager books, instead of laughing at me, he admitted to reading comic books. He’s currently got one in the works, too. He’s done the illustrations, and the writing has been a collaboration. I’d keep my eye out for it if I were you – this guy is really a masterful artist, and I’m sure that the comic will not disappoint. Check out some of his other comic style work at notgreencheese.com

Shawn has a soft voice and a kind way about him. I bet that the minute you sit down to meet him and talk about the artwork you want, he puts you immediately at ease. He has a quick laugh, a wry smile and a witty sense of humor but not at anyone else’s expense. He is easy to talk to, and you get the sense that you are in the presence of someone who is happy in his own skin.

If you are looking for a unique, illustrative tattoo, Shawn Dubin of Moo Tattoo is your guy. Moo is at 513 South Street in Philadelphia and their phone number is (215) 521-1490. Some examples of Shawn’s work are shown below. Don’t forget to check out his website too at www.shawndubin.com.

Tags: chester county, delaware, editorial photography, main line, philadelphia, portrait photographer, tattoo artist, tattoo photographer, wilmington
Posted in artist project, blog project, tattoo artist interview, tattoo artists, tattoo photographer, tattoos | 20 Comments »

Masami Inagaki – Featured Tattoo Artist – Philadelphia Portrait and Tattoo Photographer

November 16, 2010

Sometimes, when you meet someone new, you click with them right away, and it’s a great feeling. This was what happened to me when I met with Masami on Sunday morning at a great coffee shop called Ultimo. We sat and talked for a good long while, and I feel fortunate to have done so. She and I have a mutual client (you might remember THIS blog post. Masami did a lot of the artwork on the mama in these photos.

Masami is from Japan. She came here when she was 18 years old, wanting to master English. She originally went to Boston right after high school. She knew that she wanted to be a tattoo artist at that point, and came to Philadelphia to attend PAFA. ven though she didn’t specifically set out to come to Philadelphia, she really loves it here, loves the music scene, finds it to be an affordable, underrated town. I can’t say I disagree.

This did not really thrill her parents, however. She says that her dad was none too pleased that she was dropping out of college to do this, as he is considered old school even by people who are old school. He wanted her to return to Japan and work in his business. The tattooing was not as bothersome to them as the not returning to the business. She started an apprenticeship here when she was 23 and remains at the same shop today. She was persistent in taking her artwork around to the shop owner, many times, and it paid off. I hadn’t met a female artist yet, so I wondered if she encountered any negativity based on her gender, but she thinks that there is at least one woman in every shop these days, whether it’s a manager or a shop girl, and that she hasn’t experienced anyone treating her differently.

She does a lot of drawing still and appreciates the classics. She thinks that one of the most difficult things in tattooing is reduction – figuring out what you can leave out and still keep the essence of the piece. She personally has many skulls, and they are one of her favorite things to tattoo, along with flowers. She has a death theme in the artwork on her own body, and wears approximately seven skulls. She considers her own tattooing style “versatile”. There is much that she is great at, especially her graphic work in my opinion, but doesn’t feel that her strongest suit is traditional Americana tattoos.

When she was in fourth grade, she was taking art classes with adults. She was a student mediation volunteer in elementary school. She is someone who loves to ponder and loves to learn. She questions every aspect of everything, including herself and her actions. The motto in the town that she grew up in is Studying For Life, and I think that Masami really embodies that. She has studied a lot of different philosophers and references Buckminster Fuller in conversation as easily as she references the classical art masters. She is as inspired by metal music as she is by Tchaikovsky.

She gave me a lot to think about, talking about subject from the difference between the Eastern and Western philosophies to why clouds are not subject to the laws of gravity. I’ve been thinking about a Buddhist philosophy, “Attach yourself to nothing”, and allowing the waters of life to flow over you like a rock but not be moved by them since I met with her virtually non-stop. I love when I am challenged to think by someone, and conversation with Masami did just that. I can imagine that it wouldn’t be bad to sit with her for a long sitting of being tattooed since she is so engaging. You can find her at Gemini Tattoo on Philmont Avenue in Philadelphia, 215-934-7027.

Some of Masami’s artwork, shown below:

Tags: editorial photographer, philadelphia, philadelphia urban photographer, tattoo artist, tattoo photographer, tattoo photography, Tattoo portrait photographer
Posted in artist project, tattoo artist interview, tattoo artists | 32 Comments »

Joey Knuckles – Featured Tattoo Artist | Philadelphia Tattoo Photographer

September 9, 2010

We are lucky in this city. We have some incredibly talented tattoo artists that work here and create amazing art for the people of Philly and those who travel from far and wide to be tattooed by them. One day it hit me that this would be a great place to showcase the work of some of the great artists working here and find out a bit more about them. I love finding out about someone’s story (shocking, I know) and I figured that some of my readers may too. Who knows, you might find a new artist you want to work with!

I’m lucky, too. I have clients with some of the most amazing tattoos. Such was the case with one of my first clients ever, maybe you’ll remember http://www.jamiesieverphotography.com/fun-suburban-philadelphia-child-and-tattoo-photographer/. When I got home, my husband forced me to email her immediately to find out who’d tattooed her. And, then, when the time came for him to get his first tattoo, that artist was the person he went to. And, that guy was Joey Knuckles. My husband’s last session with Joey was last night – the last of four. So, we made it a date of sorts, and I got to hang out with two very handsome men and chat at Olde City Tattoo, 44 S. 2nd Street, in Philadelphia.

Jamie: I love your stuff. Can you describe your style in a sentence or two?
Knuckles: ”Middle school”. Not like, middle school, but I don’t think I am “old school” because I don’t leave skin showing like they used to – they didn’t color from edge to edge. Not new school either. So, middle school. I like black shading and nice, solid colors. I think I would say that my tattoos are in the traditional style, but with my art.

Jamie: What’s your favorite piece that you’ve done to date?
Knuckles: I think that whatever you’ve done last is your favorite. I am currently doing Bird’s head, and it’s great to get to do work on someone you like and respect.

Jamie: What’s your favorite piece that you wear?
Knuckles: I’m loving Tim Victim’s coverups these days. He did one for me, and it really blew my mind when he asked me to do one for him. I have work from Marty Holcomb, who was taught by Stoney St. Clair. I’ve gotten art from the guys who are really the masters, Bowery Stan, Jerry at Philadelphia Eddies.

Jamie: How long have you been tattooing and how did you get started?
Knuckles: I did my first tattoo on myself when I was 14 with a homemade gun. It was a straightedge x. My mom was not happy when she saw it. When I was 23, I got a job as a piercer and after a few months, I progressed and they started teaching me to tattoo. Dan Wesley really gave me my first break. Then, I was asked to work at High Street Tattoo. Giovanni really flipped my game upside down, and I learned a lot from him and the super talented people there.

Jamie: What would you be doing if you were not a tattoo artist?
Knuckles: Time. Haha. Probably still cooking and getting into trouble.

Jamie: What do you get the most requests for?
Knuckles: Flowers, bright colors. I’ve done a lot of owls lately. I would say 80% of my clients are women, because I do a lot of pretty, fancy work. I don’t do much horror stuff. I just like to draw pretty stuff and make it look cool.

Jamie: What inspires you?
Knuckles: Eastern Indian religious art. I am inspired by Alfonse Mucha; his art influences my foliage, among other things. I like anything with flourish, things that are done nicely, and things with beautiful detail. I also really love how Japanese work uses the muscle structure and how the design flows on the body.

Jamie: What’s the strangest request you’ve ever had?
Knuckles: Once, I was doing a tattoo on a guy’s girlfriend, and he was asking me about what he could get for free. There was a portrait of myself hanging at my station and I told him that it was free to get that done. So, that’s what he got.
Jamie: Uh, that’s weird. Did you know him?
Knuckles: Not only did I not know him, it was his first tattoo.

Jamie: Is there anything you won’t do?
Knuckles: Other than tattoo minors? Yeah, I won’t do a tattoo that I know won’t look nice, even if it’s what the person really thinks they want.

Jamie: What is one thing that everyone should know about you?
Knuckles: My farts make noise but they don’t stink. Really. Seriously, though, what people should know about me is that I really care about what I do. This is what I know, and I really want it to be perfect. The more you do it the way it’s supposed to be done, the better you are.

Jamie: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Knuckles: If I still have hands and sight, I’ll still be making art. I’d like to have a family, settle down eventually. (The nosy busybody in me can’t help but tell any single girl reading this that he is adorable and funny on top of being talented, and wants to settle down and have a family…)

You can see more of Knuckles’ work at www.joeyknucklestattoo.com. Keep an eye out for some really exciting stuff coming up on the horizon for Joey Knuckles.