Wednesday, October 03, 2007

No new pics yet, but I should have something in the next week or two. I had to cancel my last tattoo appointment because there was a scheduling conflict with Starlight Tattoo's Annual Tattoo Expo. Horizakura had commited to working there over the weekend alongside his teacher, Horitoshi. Having never been to a tattoo convention, I was curious to see what the fuss was about and decided to stop by on Saturday. I got there a bit late and missed the "Best Back Piece" competition (I wanted to see it, but not to compete). But, I did get to meet Horitoshi briefly when Shinji called me over to show off his work. I also got a chance to see one of Horitoshi's most well known tattoos, a full body suit of dragons and flowers which I've seen in several tattoo books and magazines (see issue 2 of "NIHON DENTOH SHISEI" for a good article on Horitoshi in Japanese, from the same folks who publish "Tattoo Burst"). I wish I'd bought my camera! The Horitoshi family had a good size booth setup and were working on people there. I was glad I had declined moving my appointment to the convention center - there was a large crowd gathered watching and I would have been quite uncomfortable.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You might have found that getting tattooed at a convention can be a pleasant experience. The people passing by, who sometimes ask questions, can offer a welcome distraction from the process itself. You certainly don't consider the artist's workspaces at NYadorned to be private, do you?

Mike Crash said...

No, I don't consider the workspaces at NYAdorned on 2nd Ave private - and I don't like it. It was much nicer when Shinji worked at 55 Tattoo (now defunct). An open space but really no foot traffic and a pleasant atmosphere.

Actually, the new NYAdorned shop over in Brooklyn has much nicer workspaces for the artists, they even have doors and can be completely closed off. You should check it out if you're in the hood.

Petri said...

Is it possible to see the tattoo by Horitoshi somehwere other than the mag?

Mike Crash said...

Pyrrhus - I think I've seen a picture or two in the odd book, but otherwise pictures of Horitoshi's work are a little hard to come by. He has not released any books showcasing his work, as many other artists have done.