You need to get to L.A. soon

Posted on August 25, 2010 by Rob

Tomorrow night is the gala opening for The Known Gallery‘s showing of Irezumi Bijin: Works by Kaname Ozuma and Horiyoshi III

Tattoo Hollywood and Known Gallery are also hosting a once in a lifetime opportunity to view works by Kaname Ozuma and Horiyoshi III, appropriately titled: Irezumi Bijin. If you were at the Tattoo Hollywood convention last week you had the opportunity to get a sneak peek at the works by these brilliant artists. Tomorrow night the show begins and will be running until Sept. 18th. I urge you to do whatever is in your power to get to Los Angeles and see this show before it is gone for good.

ozumaknowngallery1

When:
Opening Reception: Thursday August 26th, 2010 | 8pm-11pm
Show Runs: August 26th – September 18th

Where:
Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036

About the artists:

Kaname Ozuma

Born in Niigata, Japan in 1939, Ozuma Kaname began studying traditional Japanese painting under his uncle, artist Sakai Soushi, from a young age. Moving to Tokyo at the age of 18, he trained as an art dealer while working at a printing company. Afterwards, he moved on to the publishing industry where he illustrated tattoos. The majority of his work continues to be tattoo-related along with other traditional Japanese themes; and often serves as a source of inspiration for master tattooist Horiyoshi III, whose clients in turn, are often depicted in Ozuma’s paintings.

Horiyoshi III

Born Yoshihito Nakano in 1946, Horiyoshi III is the second tattooist to be bestowed the honorific title—the tattooist affixation “Hori” means engrave—in a line started by his master, the legendary tattoo artist Yoshitsugu Muramatsu, or Shodai Horiyoshi of Yokohama (Muramatsu went on to dub his son Horiyoshi II, and later Nakano was named Horiyoshi III). His images are classical Japanese woodblock print motifs such as the phoenix, dragon, snakes, tigers, samurai warriors, Buddhist gods to name a few as well as background images of waves, clouds and various flowers. Among Horiyoshi III’s published works are 36 Ghosts, 108 Heroes of the Suikoden, 100 Demons, and The Namakubi (severed heads), 100 Dragons and 58 Warriors. Horiyoshi’s artistic genius and generosity of spirit have had a defining impact on the world of tattooing, taking it to new levels in this new century.

I’m definitely trying to put plans together to put myself on the road again sometime before the show ends just so I can check it out. Who knows, maybe I’ll see you there.

It’s hot outside!

Posted on August 21, 2010 by Jen Savage

Oh hey! Just dropping in with a quick post to let you all know what a great time we’re having at Tattoo Hollywood! If you’re in the Los Angeles area, come on out. We’re open tonight until midnight and Sunday from noon until 8pm. Check out the amazing artists, book an appointment to get some ink and say hi to friends!

These are a couple of photos that I took earlier, we’ll have a more official post with contest winners and lots more photos coming up.

Clark North hard at work

Japan’s very own Horiren tattooing one of BME’s very own, Katie McShady

Tattoo Hollywood! This weekend!

Posted on August 20, 2010 by Rob

Did you guys know that BME has it’s very own convention? Well it does, and it’s going on right now!!

Tattoo Hollywood is this weekend. The flyer below will give you the address and the dates (today through sunday) as well as a brief rundown of some of the many artists appearing this weekend. To get a bigger list of the artists attending, check out the full listings on the Tattoo Hollywood website.

If you’re going to be in the area and are thinking of attending, here’s a bit of info that will probably be helpful:

First off, the show is family friendly. Kids are free with adult admission.

The show hours are:
Friday: 5pm-12pm
Saturday: 12pm-12am
Sunday: 12pm-8pm

Ticket Prices: $20 a day, $40 weekend pass, $100 VIP weekend pass. Tickets are available at the door. VIP passes are extremely limited and include special event/artist access.

The convention is on the fifth floor at Hollywood & Highland. There is tons of parking available. Tickets for the show are available at the door.

The Grand BallRoom
Renaissance Hollywood Hotel
1755 N. Highland Ave.
Hollywood, CA 90028

The show get started in just a couple of hours, so head on over after work if you can, otherwise come on down, the show is going on all weekend.

El Arte de la Muerta

Posted on August 9, 2010 by Rob

As many ModBlog readers know, I like to showcase events that contribute to a charity in some form or another. It also helps if they are related to the mod community in some fashion. I received the following in my inbox over the weekend and I thought it would be good to share.

We are excited to inform you of our upcoming art show, El Arte de la Muerta (Art of the Dead). Held in the growing community of midtown Toronto, this show will be a gathering of some of the most talented tattoo artists Canada wide and tattoo enthusiasts in the nation. While celebrating the rich culture and vibrancy of the Day of the Dead, we also challenge the tattoo community at large in an effort to raise money for Art City St. James, a program dedicated to bringing art into the lives of underprivileged and troubled youth.

I know that when these guys host an art show, it’s not something to be missed. As it stands, they’re still looking for donations of artworks, so if you’re a tattoo artist interested in creating something to help out a good cause, get in touch with George at Seven Crowns Tattoo in Toronto (416 – 322 – 7696).

Did someone say BBQ?

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Rob

“Grilling, broiling, barbecuing – whatever you want to call it – is an art, not just a matter of building a pyre and throwing on a piece of meat as a sacrifice to the gods of the stomach.” James Beard, ‘Beard on Food’ (1974)

So rumor has it that SoCal BME members have been getting together once a year for the past decade to enjoy an afternoon around the grill. Another rumor floating around is that this year’s BBQ is happening THIS WEEKEND!

So whether you’re a long time BME vet, or brand new to the community, you’re more than welcome to stop by Presidio Park in San Diego this saturday and partake in the festivities.

flier

If you have any questions, feel free to drop Midian2000 or Shaman a line on IAM, Facebook, or e-mail.

It’s too bad I won’t be in town. I would have loved to have the chance to cook up another Bacon Explosion for people.

Upcoming events in a galaxy far, far away

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Rob

So let me tell you a little story. I enjoy Star Wars, as a great many others do. Now, I’m not exactly a poster child for fandom, but I enjoy the films and can geek out with the best of them when I see a Star Wars reference pop up unexpectedly in an image or film. It should come as no surprise that I have friends who also enjoy the films, some of whom are a little more dedicated to the fandom than I am.

Now, with all that being said, something strange has been happening to me the past couple of weeks. Artists that I know seemed to be focusing on Star Wars quite a bit. Lots of images popping up, discussions being held, references being made, etc. I don’t know if it was my subconscious picking up on things that always seemed to be there, or if it was something else.

It turns out it was something else.

I was visiting my artist, Rev. Matt Ellis, a few month ago and he mentioned that he was working on a Star Wars skateboard as a piece for a show. I didn’t think too much of it, as he’s always working on something. When he finally finished the board, he posted an image of it on facebook, and needless to say it was awesome.

After that, I also was hearing complaints from the lovely Lexci Million that her partner in crime was spending all his time drawing Star Wars images. At the time they had just gotten a new TV so I figured he’d just been watching the movies a lot.

So this week, when I was looking for some upcoming events, I came across an article about Celebration V. For those that aren’t at one with the force, the Celebration events are pretty much Mecca for hardcore Star Wars nerds. It turns out this year, in addition to all the major events of the weekend, there will also be a tattoo pavilion featuring a skateboard art show. Yep, while reading the article I found the exact same image that had appeared on my facebook page not 2 weeks ago.

The skateboard art is just one event going on in the pavilion. Over the course of the weekend, there will be a tattoo competition, a gallery of Star Wars tattoo art, live art competitions between artists, and of course, a large number of tattoo artists on hand who will be available all weekend to get work done.

To find out more about the pavilion, as well as what artists will be featured there, head on over to theforce.net to get all the information.

Now if you live on the other side of the planet and can’t make it to California for the nerd gala, you may want to think about heading over to Doncaster in the UK. This weekend is the annual Tattoo Jam, and the goal this year is to set the Guinness record for most people tattooed simultaneously.

Currently the record for the most people tattooed simultaneously stands at 178, set last year at The London Tattoo Convention. But Tattoo Jam has lined up more than 300 artists from around the world who will all be in action at 2pm on Saturday in an attempt to set the new record for more than 300 people.
Organisers are appealing for 13 members of the public to act as stewards for the occasion and ensure the event runs smoothly. Volunteers must be available to be at Doncaster Racecourse from noon on Saturday. Everyone who helps out will receive a memorabilia T-shirt and certificate to mark the occasion.

There will also be the chance for Doncaster residents to become part of the record bid by going under the needle as part of the attempt.
Anyone interested must make a 2pm booking – either in advance of the event or early on the same day.

So if you’re in the neighborhood and you want to get your name in the big book of records, just swing by Doncaster and you’ll have the chance to do it.

Have any events coming up? Send me an e-mail so I can put the word out.

Got any plans for the weekend of August 20th?

Posted on August 2, 2010 by Rob

Well if you do, then cancel them. The Tattoo Hollywood Convention is that weekend!

th2010

The convention runs all weekend long, and kicks off with an opening party Thursday night at Known Gallery (441 N. Fairfax Ave Los Angeles, CA 90036)

Conventions Dates & Hours
Friday August 20th: 5pm- 12am
Saturday August 21st: 12pm-12am
Sunday August 22nd: 12pm-8pm

Closing Party August 22nd 8PM-11pm (Artists, their guests and VIP passholders ONLY)

Ticket Prices: $20 a day, $40 weekend pass, $100 VIP weekend pass. Tickets are available at the door. VIP passes are extremely limited and include special event/artist access.

Hotel Information:

The Grand Ballroom
Renaissance Hollywood Hotel
1755 N. Highland Ave.
Hollywood, CA 90028

For more information, including a full list of tattoo artists appearing, seminar listings, and contests; head on over to www.tattoohollywood.com

Do you have an event coming up? A tattoo convention? Art exhibit? Let me know about it! Just send me an e-mail and your event could be featured on ModBlog.

Surprise email from Last Rites Tattoo Theatre!

Posted on October 18, 2009 by Rachel

BME has been experiencing some serious email delays. We had a wicked mail server log loop that put the server down for the count. Nothing like System emails failing to be sent and then a huge circle of bounce/failure emails/bounces making it so that email isn’t the quick and tasty technological treat that it should be. We’re still working on cleaning up the gigs of emails and log files floating about so please bare with us while we get that sorted out.

Luckily though this email finally came through and I wanted to share it with you. It seems that the artists Last Rights Tattoo Theatre are having a suprise walk in only day! This includes all of their artists as well as Paul Booth! This is your chance to get a tattoo without having to be on the extended waiting list that all of these artists have been blessed with.While there is a typical “convention etiquette” to their event, with a “first come first served” and 3 hour appointment limits as someone who shared a booth with Paul Booth back in 1999, I can tell you I’ve watched him free hand sketch and draw a full forearm tattoo a few short hours! You’ll be bound to get a tattoo to remember at this event! Don’t forget to check out the Vimby video posted about Paul Booth right here on BME.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Last Rites Tattoo Theatre presents its first ever Creep-In Day on Halloween!

Saturday, October 31st, 12pm-12am
Last Rites Tattoo Theatre,
511 W. 33rd Street, 3rd floor,
New York, NY 10001.
Find more information at www.DarkImages.com.

(New York, NY) Last Rites Tattoo Theatre is celebrating the Halloween season by showing a return of support to all Last Rites friends, family and fans. With their first ever Creep-In Day, dedicated fans and collectors receive a rare opportunity to be tattooed spontaneously without an appointment at the infamous Last Rites Tattoo Theatre… and on Halloween to boot! Along with Paul Booth himself, the Last Rites family of masterful artists will take in the haunting energy of Halloween, Last Rites style, and produce stunning tattoo art on a first-come-first-serve basis! Paul will even be venturing out from his private lair and tattooing in the family crypt making the day an awesome “meet&greet” opportunity for Fans and Clients alike! In addition to this overdose of high energy freehand tattooing from 12 to 12, the day includes visual stimuli such as live painting sessions featuring Esao Andrews, Vincent Castiglia, Fred Harper, Dan Quintana, David Stoupakis, and Genevive Zacconi. ArtFusion Experiment collaborative painting performances by notable Tattoo Artists such as Paul Acker, Goethe, Juan Selgado, Jesse Smith, and more! An ArtFusion canvas will be open for the public to paint as well! The Film Chapel will be rolling Paul’s personal Horror movie picks continuously day and night. And of course, costumes are welcome and encouraged! And last but not least, the day will end at 11:59pm followed by a traditional Last Rites “Kool-Aid” Toast to bring in the Witching Hour.

Please read on for special details…
Paul Booth and Crew will be following normal protocol used for conventions and touring. This means one-sitting freehand style work with an approx. 3 hour time limit on a piece. If you are looking to start a multiple sitting project such as a sleeve or backpiece, then this is not a day for such. Our best advice to you is to give our accomplished artists your theme and trust them with the artistic freedom to run with it for you. 3 hours can get a good sized piece done so don’t let the time issue concern you. We do this to be fair to everyone that desires Last Rites Art. We also suggest getting here earlier than opening time if you are really serious about getting work. The doors will open at 12 noon and anyone behaving overly aggressive, intoxicated or under the influence of drugs will not be tolerated. This event will be filmed for an upcoming Last Rites DVD so costumes are encouraged but not mandatory!

Meet and Greet the artists and fellow clients all day and night

Crazy Performers will be unearthing themselves throughout the day for everyone’s twisted amusement.

Food, Drink and visual stimuli all day long… No Cover! Costumes Welcome!

“We want to show our fans our true appreciation for their support, by allowing them the opportunity to avoid the waiting list… and get tattooed convention style. I have been spending quite a bit of time here at home focusing on my larger projects and I find myself occasionally missing the road. Now I can sort of go on tour without leaving home and get a good dose of that convention energy I have come to know so well. I have always liked the idea of bringing our fans together to meet each other as they have always shown a strong like-mindedness. This is why I want to make it a meet & greet day as well.”

~ Paul Booth ~

CONTACT:
Jennifer
1-212-529-0666
[email protected]

If you’re one of the few who is smart and gets there early, please send in photos! If I was in NYC still, I’d be lined up just to see the madness! If you can’t get tattooed, it sounds like they’re making it worth the trip out so put this on your calendar!

Tattooer Art and Anniversaries

Posted on November 3, 2008 by Rachel

Canvas Los Angeles is celebrating their one year anniversary and it’s going to be big. Artwork by some of the world’s most renowned tattooers will be displayed starting November 15th to mark their success in being the only dedicated Tattooer Art Gallery in the world. Having kept to their original mission of exposing Tattooers to the world of fine art with a dedicated space just for them, Canvas has reached unexpected levels of success and notoriety for displaying works from artists from around the world in a setting just for them. Come make the night special and get your chance to see what your favorite artists can do on canvas instead of your skin.

BMEfest 2008

Posted on May 11, 2008 by Rachel

Save the date — BMEfest is back! We’re thrilled to announce a three-day extravaganza, running from June 27-29, starting with an exclusive Friday night party at one of Toronto’s finest nightclubs, the exact location of which will be announced as soon as humanly possible.

You heard it right, friends. Gas up the jet, plug in the electric car, grease up the wheels on your little red wagon, start doing thumb stretches and reread The Hitchhiker’s Guide … whatever it takes to get your collective asses to Toronto for BME’s annual BMEfest.

Now, we hear you asking, “Well, that’s fine and good, but what does a BME party at a nightclub have to offer that a night drinking dandelion whiskey with my cousin Mose and playing Warhammer doesn’t?” And to that we say, nothing … unless you happen to be a fan of awesome music, VIP access (because who stands in lines anymore?) and dancing your ass off with a few hundred of your closest friends — not to mention a few surprises we don’t want to spoil quite yet.

Vague? Maybe a little. But check this page often, as we’ll be announcing more and more details frequently. Until then, shine your shoes, buy a silver shirt and prepare for June 27, 2008! The war is over — tonight, we dance!