The Tattoo Post

I got my Kestrel tattoo colored in a couple weeks ago by the mysterious R.G. I'm really happy with it, and though we are going to eventually add in some background- fall leaves and whatever, it feels like it's finished. R.G. is the best. I don't know why he's mysterious, he's not very mysterious actually, we just used to call him "the mysterious R.G." a long time ago. I like watching him work, I don't know a lot about tattooing, but to me he works like a painter, mixing colors on the fly, and working the needles like a brush.

We talked about what makes a piece of art timeless, be it a tattoo or a painting, but that's a tough question, and we didn't really find an answer. I like that about RG. He has a lot of integrity and is not afraid to question his own work. But you know you're going to get a good tattoo. I couldn't be happier with mine, I feel that nature tattoos done in a non gimicky way have a certain timelessness to them, but of course that's just one guy's opinion. As tattoo trends come and go maybe it's impossible to have a design that is timeless. Or maybe it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. In any case, it's one of the reasons I don't like designing tattoos. People ask all the time but it's just not in me.


I only have a couple of tattoos myself, so this was only the third time I've been needled. In the past I always thought I was a wuss, because both times I got all light headed and felt like I was going to pass out. The pain was never really bad, so I didn't understand why I'd feel like that. But now I know what was up. It was my blood sugar and the adrenaline rush you get when you're about to get tattooed. This time I tried drinking some soda and eating a bunch of cookies and I didn't have any problems. It was really nice talking to RG and his girl Gill, rapping about art and New York and Mead Valley. Good times.


Thanks RG...

So I got a new computer and while transferring over all the files I found about 30 images of my work tattooed onto people. I knew I had these but forgot about them. These are all images that were sent to me or I found on message boards. It's flattering but sorta weird at the same time. The robot stuff I was doing a few years back is the most popular theme, I don't know how timeless they will be but maybe by the time we start worrying about that we will all have blurry colored blobs on our arms anyway. All I know is my fans are awesome, and it's an honor to have my work permanently etched into their skin. Take a look...