It’s been said, even by my own people, that I sometimes work in strange ways. I make decisions that seem odd, but which, in the end, work well thank you, God . So, when I found out that some of our current artists were moving on to new things in their lives, I decided that it was the perfect time to make the next jump up. What I’ve decided to do is to open a new, beautiful shop on Elizabeth St, with all of our tattooers and piercers in one location, and to transform our Second Ave shop into a jewelry store, albeit a non-traditional one. Details to follow once I work them out…

continue reading:  NEW YORK ADORNED — New Beginnings.

Last month, I wrote about the new Body Art 3 book that I was honored to be featured in. Today, I am again thrilled to share with you the new article that Bizarre Magazine was so kind to include me in. The December, 2009 issue of Bizarre features a 4-page article about me, written by Denise Stanborough and Ben Miller, with photos by the incredible Michelle X Star.

via Jinxi Article in the December Issue of Bizarre Magazine – Blog – Jinxi Boo.

I hardly know where to begin when talking about the one-and-only Mike DeVries. Not only is he the maestro of realism tattoo art, a top-selling author, tattoo product entrepreneur, shop owner, painter, dad, husband, and all-around amazing guy; he is also one of my best friends and a person who I owe a lot to, both in the tattoo-appreciation sense and in the sentimental sense.

It’s no secret that Mr. DeVries has decorated a huge portion of my skin with his awe-inspiring skills. In fact, he has had to put up with me for nearly 200 hours worth of tattoo work (at this point) and if he doesn’t mind, I plan to keep that number ascending for as long as I can trick him into it (wink wink).

I first met Mike at a tattoo convention, took one look at a monkey portrait he had executed and nearly fell over. I had never seen an animal so precisely and realistically tattooed before, and it took about a split second longer to decide that I simply had to have him design my throat piece.

via Jinxi’s Interview With Tattoo Artist Mike DeVries – Blog – Jinxi Boo.

Charlie Wagner, is one of America’s great tattoo legends. Wagner tattooed in New York City from the 1890s up until his death in 1953. Working on the Bowery in lower Manhattan, Wagner took over the shop space at 11 Chatham Square that Samuel O ‘Reilly had occupied for many years. Charlie Wagner carried on where O’Reilly left off in more ways than one. They both patented a tattooing machine, and both became very famous for tattooing sideshow attractions. Samuel O’Reilly patented the first tattooing machine in 1891 (patent #464,801). Wagner improved upon that design and received his own patent in 1904 (768,413).

I wanted to pay homage to this Legend so I did this painting.

I wanted to do a study of the tattoo machine and make it as realistic as i possibly could with my crude skills.

via Professor Charlie Wagner « HOOPERS ELECTRIC.