Inside the World of H.R. Giger

Last modified on 2010-02-08 18:40:28 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

As artists most of us are familiar with the work of H.R. Giger.  For everyone who’s going “whaa?” “who?” H.R. Giger is the genius (messed-up-in-the-head?) behind the biomechanical set design of the Alien movies, the design of the Alien itself, a poster insert in the Dead Kennedy’s Frankenchrist album, the Necronomicon books of paintings, and the inspiration for every fetishistic wet dream out there.

Almost every scary-looking, biomechanical tattoo you see on the streets is either a direct replica of or was inspired by Giger.   Seriously, this art is so creepy that the guy must have been terrorized as a kid.  Interesting side note: according to Giger’s Wikipedia page, Giger is one of the best-known sufferers of night terrors and his paintings, inspired by his experiences, are his form of therapy. 

Anyway, some friends over at Work Shoe Blisters found a bar inspired by Giger that is a must-see for anyone wanting to get a looksie inside the mind of the infamous King of Nightmares.  Get out your passports because this bar is in Gruyères, Switzerland however, if you’ve ever wanted to be in the Alien movies, it looks like it might be worth the trip.

According to the website the bar is described as ”a cavernous, skeletal structure covered by double arches of vertebrae that crisscross the vaulted ceiling of an ancient castle. The sensation of being in this extraordinary setting recalls the tale of Jonah and the whale, lending the feel of being literally in the belly of a fossilized, prehistoric beast, or that you have been transported into the remains of a mutated future civilization.”

If you do plan on going, take pictures for us because, man, if I went I think I might have nightmares for a week!

Thanks katetuomimonster for the tip!

Warning: Keep this in mind if you are going to marry a tattoo artist!

Last modified on 2010-02-08 07:02:13 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

from DeviantArt.com

Editor’s Note: I took this off the MySpace page of a CDA tattoo artist and it couldn’t be more true. I had to modify/edit just a bit and I’m sure I could add about 150 more items to this list but, as an artist’s wife, I don’t have the time.   

1. You will never be as close to him as his machines. 

2. When you’re in your bathing suit and he looks at you, he isn’t looking at you, he’s looking at the recent piece he did on you to see how well it healed up. 

3. You could be in the middle of telling him you may be pregnant, and if UPS just dropped of the new Kingpin (Supply) order, forget it you just lost all his attention. 

4. He will ask you why you chose to blend those two color of eye shadows together, and then he’ll tell you that you need more pink to blend it out. 

5. You will never be able to talk about one subject other than tattoos for longer than 75 seconds. So if you had a shitty day you better hope your best girlfriends are good listeners or your talk will end real quick. 

6. When he gets that far off look in his eyes, it only means he is wondering how his latest customer’s tattoo is healing. NOT day dreaming about when he first met you. 

7. You will NEVER vacation the same again. Your vacations will now consist of what convention or what city he will be working in. You should be excited for 5 days away by yourself while he is working. Who wouldn’t be? (Erin’s comments: ALSO don’t plan on flying to the convention if it’s within a 2 day’s driving distance. There will always be “too much to take on a plane” and will have to sit in a car for 4 solid days getting to and from the convention.)

 

 8. If the ink for the printer runs out, your day will be horrible. 

9. He doesn’t know how to fix the garage door, but he can build a machine out of old parts from your broken garage door. 

10. Learn that this lifestyle is now yours. Remember you said “’till death do us part.” 

11. You will now be a professional massage therapist. He will always be in pain and never let you hear the end of it. 

12. Are you the jealous type? You better get over it. Women will throw themselves at him, and not even have enough respect to wait for you to leave the room. (It’s true! ) 

13. He will speak in a secret language that may take you years to understand. Just 3 examples:
                  a. scratcher gray
                  b. 9 round shader
                  c. blood lines
Start learning now or you will be left out of every one of his conversations. 

14. DO NOT call him when he is in the middle of his next master piece (or if he just received the pigments he waited 3 months for) to tell him the baby just flushed herself half way down the toilet. I promise he will respond with “This couldn’t have waited?” 

15. If he had to do a walk-in Amy Brown fairy you will not be getting sex that night. 

16. He can’t go one day without tattooing. So remember, during the holidays he will be moody because he would rather be at the shop tuning his machine rather than eating turkey. 

17. Last be ready for the ride of your life because being married to a tattoo artist with all of its ups and downs is by far one of the most amazing rides you will ever take in your life. 

I am back!

Last modified on 2010-02-09 06:32:00 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

This about sums it up.

Hey Guys,

Just wanted to send a quick note your way letting you know that I’m back after a whirlwind trip to Las Vegas and Grass Valley, CA.  I left last Sunday and the second I got off the plane in Sacramento I drove 10 hours to Las Vegas for a friend’s birthday.  While I was there I had the pleasure of tattooing at Dead Man’s Hand for two days and got a pretty cool sweatshirt and a few window stickers.  When I was about to start my first tattoo I discovered that the Southwest Airlines baggage handlers completely destroyed my power supply and STOLE my shader needles!  I actually had to buy a new power supply and needles to be able to work the remainder of the week but luckily I was in the shop of the best tattoo supplier on the West Coast so Matt of DMH had my back.

On Wednesday we drove 10 hours back to Grass Valley, CA and on Thursday I worked at Classic Tattoo with Cory Norris and his crew.  Thursday night I was able to hang wich some old friends for a few hours but had to get up early* on Friday to get to the airport.

I got back into Seattle Friday evening and I couldn’t be happier. It was great to spend time with friends in Grass Valley, and it was awesome to be able to ring in my buddy’s 30th birthday in Las Vegas, but it feels wonderful to be home. I’m still trying to get back into the swing of things and have over 150 e-mail to reply to so please bear with me over the next week or so while I play catch up.  If you’re interested in setting up an appointment, come down to the shop and say hi or give me a call and we can discuss what you want and get you on the schedule.

Thanks!

Lucky

*early=Noon

Where’s Lucky?

Last modified on 2010-02-09 06:32:27 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Hi guys,

I’m going to be out of town for the next week and wanted to give you a heads up as to where I’ll be.  If you like Where’s Waldo then you’ll love this game.

Tomorrow I’m flying down to Sacramento to be picked up and driven to Las Vegas in honor of a friend’s 30th birthday.  While I’m in Vegas I will be taking Monday and Tuesday to tattoo at a NEW friend’s shop, Dead Man’s Hand.  Matt, one of the owners of DMH, is one of the great people we met while up at the Jet City Tattoo Expo last weekend.  Thanks, Matt, for letting me come in for a few days.

On Wednesday we’re driving back to Grass Valley, CA and I will be working Thursday with Cory Norris and his group at Classic Tattoo.  I *think* I’m all booked for that day but come on down to say hi. 

I’ll be flying back on Friday to work on some cool people on Saturday.

And that is my whirlwind trip.

February is filling up fast; I *might* have an open appointment here or there but call me ASAP if you want to get on the schedule. 

See you soon!

Jet City Tattoo Expo

Last modified on 2010-02-09 06:34:14 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Well, another year means another round of conventions and guest spots.  I will be travelling a bit this year and will be doing some conventions so stay tuned for more details.  In the meantime, the first convention this year is the Jet City Tattoo Expo up in Everett.  The expo will be running January 22^nd thru 24^th at the Tulalip Resort Casino.  I will be at the expo all day each day during the convention hours.

Convention hours are as follows:
Friday, January 22                 1pm – 10pm
Saturday, January 23            12pm – 10pm
Sunday, January 24               12pm-7pm

If you get tickets in advance you can get the 3-day pass for $35.00.  Deadline for advance tickets is January 8^th.  Otherwise tickets are available at the door for $15.00 per day.  Children 14 and under are free!

If you’re interested in getting tattooed during the expo hit me up as I already have some spots reserved.  One thing to note is that I can’t get you into the convention for free so be prepared to pay $15 at the door for entrance.

Hope to see you there!

Thank You!

Last modified on 2010-02-09 06:34:55 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Photo by *nJoo

As we ring in the new year (painfully with some Tylenol) I wanted to take a moment and reflect how crazy the last year has been for me. I try and think about all the things that have been accomplished and found that there is a common theme among everything: you. I want to thank you for everything you have done to help me accomplish my dream of owning my own tattoo shop in one of the coolest, most beautiful cities in the world. You made me realize that it is possible to strike out on my own and you are responsible for keeping me afloat with a new baby at home. (Speaking of which, Happy 1st Birthday Oliver!)

There is a lot that I want to accomplish as we head into 2010 but one thing is for sure: I want to continue to have you amazing people as my friends and want to meet new people who inspire and want to be inspired. Can a man ask for anything more than that?

So in closing, I want to say cheers! and leave you with a few words of wisdom by Neil Gaiman: I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you’ll dream dangerously and outrageously, that you’ll make something that didn’t exist before you made it, that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and to like in return. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind.

Lucky

Thanksgiving Update

Last modified on 2010-02-09 06:35:57 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Hi Guys!

As everyone knows, my family and I will be in Coeur d’Alene for Thanksgiving.  I plan on tattooing the weekend after Thanksgiving (depending on what day we have Kate’s birthday party) and will only have 6 appointment spots open.  I have already been contacted by many people to get tattooed while I’m in town but that doesn’t mean that I can’t fit you in or figure out a workaround plan.  If you’re thinking about getting tattooed contact myself or Erin and we’ll see what we can do.

Holiday Specials and News

Last modified on 2010-02-09 06:40:38 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

I want to thank Chris and the crew at Jackalope Tattoo for a great day and making me feel at home. You guys are awesome!

ATTENTION CDA/SPOKANE FRIENDS: I will be coming over for a holiday visit and spending November 27th and 28th at State of Art Tattoo. It will be a while before I can get back over there so now will be the time to get in. I have 6 openings for tattoo work – get ‘em while they’re hot!  E-mail me (or call) if you want one of the slots and we can set you up.

I am already in the holiday spirit so here are a few gifts I have for you fine folks:

This Friday is Friday the 13th. I have a few fun and spooky 13 designs that I am offering for a one day only price of $30!!! That’s half off the shop minimum!!! I can do only 6-8 of them in one day so first come first serve!

As Christmas and the holidays come crashing in, coupled with how many of us have been affected by the economy, people have had to put aside their personal tattoo desires. Alas, I have two remedies for this problem:

1. From Thanksgiving Day to New Years Day, I will reduce my hourly rate from $125.00 to $80.00 an hour!! The shop minimum will reduce to $40.00 instead of the regular $60.00!! But act fast because this will go back to the $125 normal pricing as of January 2, 2010!
2. Do you have a hard person to shop for on your list? Well, get them something that they will NEVER forget! I have GIFT CERTIFICATES available! It lets your special friend get what they want AND be constantly reminded of your thoughtfulness! Come by the shop and pick one up for that special person/ink lover in your life!

REMEMBER Winter = best time to get tattoos. With no sun and no swimming it is the perfect time to heal a beautiful new tattoo!

If you have any questions, or would like to jump on one of these deals, let me know through any of the usual ways:

206-441-2153
artfuldodgertattoo@gmail.com
MySpace
Facebook
Twitter

Thanks and have a happy holidays!

Lucky and the ADT crew

Best of Western Washington Award!

Last modified on 2010-02-09 06:36:43 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Lucky was awarded 4th place out of 72 shops for the King5 Best of Western Washington contest in the tattoo and piercing category. He would like to say THANK YOU to everyone who voted and put up with him talking about nothing else. You guys are the reason he’s here and make it worthwhile to go to work every day. THANK YOU!

Revolting Cocks

Last modified on 2009-11-21 22:35:40 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

The Revolting Cocks are coming!

Lucky will be tattooing Eros are a few others from the Revolting Cocks today! Come down and say hi or come to their show tonight at Studio Seven. Tickets are $15 in advance or $17 at the door. See you there!

Lucky on TBTL!

Last modified on 2009-11-12 06:18:25 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Lucky had the honor of tattooing Luke Burbank from Too Beautiful to Live this afternoon during a live podcast. Listen to Luke talk to Lucky while he’s getting work done here.

Lucky will be at Classic Tattoo

Last modified on 2010-02-09 06:38:37 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Lucky has been given the great pleasure to work with Cory Norris and his crew at Classic Tattoo in his hometown of Grass Valley, CA.

Lucky will be in GV working at Classic Tattoo September 22nd thru 26th so hit him up if you want to get on the schedule. The shop minimum is $60, $125/hour, and there is a $100 deposit to hold the time and begin your custom drawing. As always, the deposit will go towards the cost of your tattoo.

If you would like to talk about a tattoo and scheduling an appointment, Lucky’s e-mail address is artfuldodgertattoo@gmail.com or his phone is 206.446.2153. He is so excited for this opportunity and can’t wait to see everyone.

Shop Info:
Classic Tattoo
420 Colfax Ave
Grass Valley CA 95945
(530) 273-6499

Hours: Tues-Sat 11am-7pm

http://www.corynorristattoo.com/
http://www.myspace.com/corynorristattoo

1st Annual NW Music Expo

Last modified on 2009-11-12 06:19:32 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Come visit Lucky and Artful Dodger Tattoo at the 1st Annual Northwest Music Expo!

Lucky will be the exclusive tattoo artist working in the midst of amazing musicians and wonderful exhibitors. Showbox Sodo is hosting the NW Music Expo for one day only, Saturday, August 29th beginning at 12:00pm at the Showbox Sodo. All ages are welcome; admission is only $5.00(!) and if you’re over 21 bring your ID for the beer garden.

For more information regarding the 1st Annual Northwest Music Expo click on banner below.