Well, this is the final Movember Monday post for the year. It’s been a great month, and we’ve seen a lot of fantastic mustaches. For some people the end of the month means a day to shave away that band of brilliance upon their upper lip, yet to others it becomes a point of pride, a light in the darkness, a place to grow not only an epic mustache, but a beard as well! So while Movember is finished, Bearduary is just around the corner, so get those beards growing!
Now to celebrate the end of the month, lets take a look at one of the finest mustaches that has been submitted in the past month. While I don’t know the name of the gentleman pictured below, I do know that the claw scars on his shoulders were done by IAM: Dark freak from Brazil.
With all this talk of Movember, it’s sometimes easy to forget those among us who don’t just grow in a mustache in November. Take KingFrankWaits for example, he’s rocking an expertly curled ‘stache that blends in well with his beard. I’m guessing that the purplish mark around his nostril piercing means he just had it done shortly before this photo was taken.
He also looks like a genuinely happy guy, which is always nice to see. And given how many e-mails I got this month asking for some bearded boys, I’m pretty sure there will be some other happy people when they see this photo.
A while back I featured my old friend Jared’s company onetribe on here. Readers seemed to appreciate an in depth look into one of the many organic jewelry companies. So when the, ever so likable, Cyrus showed up in my shop carrying a selection of gorgeous organic jewlery from Maya, I told him to tell his boss I’d like to do a feature on her company. Due to prior commitments on both our parts, it took a while to get it together, but I am pleased to have it ready now.
For many more images and a brief interview, keep on keeping on.
Why don’t we start with a brief history of Maya Organics.
In 2006, body piercer, Corey Lolley set out to create a line of jewelry inspired by her travels, indigenous culture, street fashion, graffiti, architecture, and attitude. She has been an active member of the piercing community since she got her start in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area in 1994. Utilizing her knowledge of industry trends, standards, and aesthetics both modern and ancient, she expanded her focus to developing the freshest designs from the most luxurious materials. Each Maya piece is a reflection of an aspect of the community that inspired them, and an offering back to that same community.
As a piercer I have always been inspired and moved by indigenous cultures, their preserved traditions and how they embody adornment. It was the people of the island of Borneo that first inspired me to travel to distant lands. Their nomadic and primitive lifestyles somehow made sense to my young mind that struggled with how our modern society claimed its roots to humanity. It was on this first trip to SE Asia in 2000 that I first visited the mystical island of Bali in Indonesia where I now work. I stumbled upon its cavers, world renound as the most gifted hand carvers on the planet.
I feel that Maya was a natural evolution for me, my dream career manifested. Maya has allowed me to integrate traveling, indigenous culture, art and business while remaining immersed in the community that I feel most connected to. I think that these things go hand in hand. Our way of life is expelled from ancient cultures, when I say this I do not just mean how we look, these ways manifest in how we choose to live our lives.
What impact you feel your company plays on the modified community as well as the community surrounding your carvers.
When one experiences the Maya collection they get a sense of a more of a fine jewelry experience, this is the angle as a designer that I want to bring to the table. Maya offers a collection that feels elegant and sophisticated.
We put great effort into how we display and promote our jewelry. For the past 3 years, we won best booth at the APP’s annual piercing convention in Las Vegas. With many shops beginning to boutique their studios we realize the importance of display, customers need to see how special these pieces are. Our experience has been that the more elegantly shops display this jewelry the more likely it is for clients to understand just how exclusive it is.
I feel Maya organic to be a sincere representation of the evolution of the body piercing industry. When I started piercing the only thing that was available for stretched ears was steel captive bead rings. As I evolved with the industry so did the jewelry that is available for stretched ears.
My desire is that Maya servers as an inspiration for other body piercers and body modification enthusiasts, that they too are able to bring their ideas from a thought to a manifestation. I hope that they are able to find the root of their passion and what draws them to this community and them act on it, to make it bigger then themselves, push boundaries.
When I first began working with the carvers and metal smiths in Bali 4 years ago there were 7 carvers and 1 silversmith chipping away at this dream, I now work with over 40 carvers and 15 metal smiths. The vision of Maya has not only been an immensely life changing experience for me but also for those I hold so dear on the other side of the world. Although it is sometimes overwhelming for me to think about the colossal responsibility that I have when I think of all those people and their families that are relying on my success it is also immensely gratifying. All of the jewelers who I work with in Bali challenge and push me to be more creative. During the design process we often work together and bounce off of each other, I enjoy nurturing their ideas. I really feel grateful to work with such remarkable artists, many of my carvers are third generation, this is in their blood like it is in mine.
What separates you from the other organic companies?
Maya was born from the mind of a body piercer and all of those who work for Maya are experienced piercers all stemming from some of the countries most reputable studios. In addition to being piercers, we are all creative and passionate people. We understand the industry and its clients, what works and what does not.
We are extremely committed to the quality of the jewelry that we put out. Also, we have a very fast turn around on orders.
I feel that we offer a very personable experience. This is rooted in the fact that we are all so immersed in the piercing community. It is not just our way of life and a way to make money, but in many ways it is the foundation that we are all built on.
Our customer service and presence with our clients here in the office also translates to our door-to-door sales. We have an incredible team of conscious individuals who work on the road. When we are on the road it is more like we are traveling the country visiting our friends and family than working. Our industry is so inimitable in this way. We are keeping the gypsy way alive, traveling from city to city and allowing out clients the opportunity to hand select their wares. I am so proud to be a part of keeping this way of life thriving. I hope that people find inspiration in what we do.
Want to adorn yourself with some beautiful pieces by Maya Organic, the best place to start is their website mayaorganicjewelry.com.
PS: I’d like to do some more features on jewelry companies, so if anyone wants to showcase their stuff (John, I am looking at you buddy) hit me up.
With every mustache there is the chance for a beard. ICollectTheDead shows us just how much that is true. Looking very dashing (and a little psychotic) in his suit, he’s proving that one can have multiple labret piercings and a beard without the two conflicting.
The madness isn’t over yet. Coming up later today, my choices for best mustache and beard combo, as well as best overall mustache for the month.
After being laid up in bed last week with a nasty cold, I found out today that my inbox was flooded with two weeks of stories to get through for this week’s news round up. There’s a lot to cover this week, so let’s get right to it.
To kick things off, LA based food stylist Adam Pearson was yanked off a flight last week, the reason: his tattoos.
LA-based food stylist Adam C Pearson was on-board a Delta flight on Saturday morning when a flight attendant asked him to step off the plane, reported the Los Angeles Times. He was told that he had been reported for “suspicious behaviour” because of the words Atom Bomb tattooed across his fingers.
Before the plane took off, he sent a tweet: “Just pulled off delta flight, passenger said I was suspicious looking due to my tattoos @DeltaAssist not happy at all #goldmedallion fail” After answering more questions, the frequent Delta passenger was allowed to return to his seat.
“A public apology would be nice,” Pearson said. ”I’m not out for blood… but why didn’t they offer to book that other person on another flight if they didn’t like my tattoos? Why was that other person more important than me?” Pearson said he had never before been questioned about his tattoos or behaviour while flying. ”It really just made me kind of sad that you could just point at someone and say ‘That guy is acting suspicious,’ ” he said. “It was just a bummer.”
Of course airline travel has been all over the news the past couple of weeks with the implementation of those full-body x-ray scanners. Well, it isn’t so much the scanners that are the issue, but rather the gate rape that you get when you refuse to go through the machine. For those of you who are travelling and don’t mind going through the scanners, Fox News has a bit of information that may be relevant.
Byrne said this means TSA workers will see any foreign objects close to the skin, including piercings, catheters, and colostomy bags. Breast implants and prosthetic testicles will also be easily recognizable on the scanner screen. Still not embarrassed? The X-ray technology has the ability to tell if a man is circumcised or not, although Byrne said the scanners are supposed to be designed to avoid that.
If you do end up traveling soon and you happen to be heavily modified, drop me a line if anything of interest happens, either through the scanner or the pat down. I’m sure there are a few ModBlog readers who are interested in hearing about it.
There’s lots more to cover so keep on reading…
You may remember from a few weeks back the story of a man who got a penis tattooed on his back by his “friend” when he thought he was getting a something else. At the time I wasn’t able to find any photos of the tattoo, but this week, I’ve managed to find something better. An interview with both the victim and the man responsible for the tattoo.
I guess the moral of the story is, don’t let someone tattoo you right after you get into a fight with them. Especially if they’re not an actual tattoo artist.
Another follow up story from the southern hemisphere is about the police officer who was fired for opening a beer can at a work party. With his PA. This one has a happy ending as it seems the officer has been allowed to return to active duty.
Andrew Lawrance was dismissed last year from his role as a sergeant at Grafton after he attached a bottle opener to his piercing to remove the top from a bottle of beer while at dinner with colleagues in Yamba in December 2008. He told the Industrial Relations Commission he was “egged on” to perform the trick but one man took offence. Justice Michael Walton ruled that Mr Lawrance’s dismissal was “harsh” and ordered he be allowed back into the force, albeit at the rank of senior constable. Mr Lawrance has since had the piercing removed and had told the hearing in July that he “regretted” his behaviour.
I really hope that the removal of the piercing wasn’t a condition of his being restored to the force.
Now back is the US a professor has undergone a procedure for an art exhibit that pushes his body to a new limit. Previously Wafaa Bilal made ModBlog news when he was tattooed with a map of Iraq on his back, with one dot in black in for every US soldier killed, and another dot in blacklight ink for every civilian killed. This time around Mr. Bilal is having a small camera implanted into the back of his head.
Bilal, who is teaching three courses this semester at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, will wear the camera for one year. It is 2 inches in diameter and less than an inch thick. The project will raise “important social, aesthetic, political, technological and artistic questions,” he said. He declined to say when the camera was implanted or other details of the art installation, saying it “will be revealed to the public as part of the museum preview on Dec. 15″ and on a website to be launched on the same day, http://www.3rdi.me.
He said he chose to have it put in the back of the head as an allegorical statement about the things we don’t see and leave behind. How it all fits together is still a bit of a mystery. The camera will capture his everyday activities at one-minute intervals 24-hours a day and then be transmitted to monitors at the museum, said curators Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath of Art Reoriented, who commissioned Bilal on behalf of the museum. ”He doesn’t have to alter his lifestyle or what he does. In principal, he’s moving on with his life,” Bardaouil told The Associated Press from Doha. “It will be a three-dimensional, real space-and-time experience. Once the piece is revealed, you’ll realize that the camera is only one aspect of the work and there are aspects as important that will be experienced.”
As of right now his website is displaying a countdown to when the site is launched. Hopefully by then we’ll be able to see some photos of the implant itself.
Heading up to the Great White North, Canada popped up in the news quite a few times in the past couple of weeks.
If you watched Ellen earlier in the month you may have seen Vancouver Island native Dustin Thut on the show.
Duncan resident Dustin Thut says he woke up Thursday to calls and text messages saying he had been featured on the show Ellen. On the program, Ellen DeGeneres called Thut’s letter to her “the most ridiculous thing I have ever, ever seen in my entire life.” He had asked his boss Mike Morgan for a raise, but was told he’d only get one if he tattooed Morgan’s face on his rear end. Thut visited Bully Boy Tattoos in Duncan to request what artist Jory Helms called his “most unusual portrait to date.” ”He came in the next day, and he had this silly look on his face, and he just turned around and dropped his pants,” Morgan said. ”I pretty much dropped my heart right there and that was that. I gave him the raise.”
That $2 raise didn’t last long, though. ”I quickly laid him off after that,” Morgan said.
I don’t know about you, but if I had an employee do that, especially after I suggested it, I’d find a way to keep him on staff.
While we’re still on the West coast, Performance Works on Granville Island is hosting an exhibit this weekend entitled “The Tattoo Project“.
The Tattoo Project brings together the work of 12 photographers shooting 100 tattooed models. Footage of creating the exhibit will also be edited together as the final scene in an upcoming documentary that will also be called The Tattoo Project.
The show runs Friday to Sunday, with more information available at thetattooproject.ca
Over in Ontario, tattoo artist Heather Myles from InkSmith Tattoos in Guelph made the news this week with her MedicAlert tattoos.
“It was a challenge,” said Heather Myles, the Guelph tattoo artist and owner of InkSmith Tattoos who made up the stencil and did the work for Bortolon-Vettor. Myles used to be a nurse and understands the crucial role of the MedicAlert system. The engraved tag tells paramedics that someone is allergic to penicillin or peanuts, or has diabetes or a heart condition, for example. “I really felt I had to make the symbol unmistakable or medical staff won’t take it seriously,” Myles said. “So it’s bold, plain and nothing fancy.”
Robert Ridge, president of MedicAlert Canada, doesn’t see anything wrong with a MedicAlert tattoo when used to supplement the existing program. “The tattoo is very much a niche response,” Ridge said. “Most people would choose the bracelet or necklace. And emergency responders have been trained to look for the bracelet, not a tattoo.” Still, “I saw a photo of the tattoo and this one is quite clear. There’s probably no harm as a complement to our program.” Ridge said members pay an annual fee, which keeps their medical file current. Tattoo wearers would still have to pay the fee.
While we’re talking about medicine, a doctor in Germany recently refused to perform surgery on his patient because of the patient’s tattoo.
A 36-year-old man needing an operation was tattooed with the image of theReichsadler, or Imperial Eagle, perched upon a swastika, daily Bild reported on Friday. The patient’s 46-year-old doctor said he could not reconcile proceeding with the surgery with his conscience, the paper reported. “I will not operate on your husband,” the doctor told the man’s wife. “I’m Jewish.” The doctor then had another physician finish the procedure.
The article doesn’t go into much depth, but I suppose this could bring up a number or moral and ethical problems. On one hand you have the Doctor who has sworn an oath to take care of his patient, yet at the same time, if something were to happen during the procedure, a case could be made against the doctor that the error occurred on purpose because of the doctor’s personal views towards the patient. Was the doctor in the right in this situation?
In other news, a woman was arrested last week for trying to perform a type of surgery herself, when she tried to remove her boyfriend’s tattoo with a knife, without his consent.
Miner said Amerson “grabbed a knife and attempted to cut the tattoo of her name off his neck.” A cop reported that Miner had the name “Tressa” inked on the left side of his neck, and that he “observed what appeared to be two scratch marks that ran across the tattoo.” When questioned by police, Amerson denied assaulting Miner, saying that she had “been sleeping all day.” Cops recovered a small paring knife from the living room floor, reporting that “this was believed to be the knife used.”
In an interview, Miner told TSG that he got the 2” x 2” “Tressa” tattoo in late-July and has been dating Amerson for about a year. Asked if he considered Amerson his girlfriend, Miner replied, “kinda, sorta, not really,” before adding, “she’s pretty crazy.”
I’m not going to lie to you. I burst out laughing when I read his response to TSG.
Now while we’re on the subject of dumb ideas, and you can’t tell me that trying to cut off your boyfriend’s tattoo with a knife isn’t a dumb idea, when going out to get a tattoo it’s best not to pay with stolen merchandise. Especially when the stolen property is an accordion.
The instrument was then recovered from Skintone tattoo shop in Pershore, where it had been left as part payment for an unfinished tattoo. Police are now trying to trace the man who left the instrument behind under a false name. He is described as white, aged between 25 and 35, thin, taller than 6ft and with a local accent. His incomplete tattoo features two wolves, a larger one on the upper arm and a smaller one going down the arm to below the elbow.
Another bad idea? Wanting to get a massive Rolling Stones logo tattooed on your horse. Thankfully the police intervened when the court ruled that it would be considered animal cruelty.
Finally, in the history of bad ideas, this may take the cake. Now, I realize this may very well be a hoax or a clever photoshop, which I certainly hope it is, but so far nobody has stepped up to claim responsibility. What you see pictured below is allegedly a 13 year old son of a Russian tattoo artist, with a full sleeve.
Now before I get into celebrity round-up there is one story this week that qualifies for the round-up, but I won’t be making fun of. A few days ago Kat Von D‘s house burnt down, and while possessions can easily be replaced, she did lose her cat in the fire. So Kat gets a free pass this week from my usual snark.
Actually this week was pretty light in terms of celebrity news.
Model Lily Cole dyed her hair black which instantly made her “gothic” in the eyes of the press, who made sure to take note of her “brooding tattoo in Latin” on her foot.
Some website called gigwise.com has published a story rating 12 musicians based on their piercings. From what I can tell, nipple piercings on guys are bad, single lip rings are good, but multiple lip piercings are bad. I’m fairly certain the author of the article just picked up the stack of photos and randomly decided what was considered good and bad without actually looking at them.
Finally, Former WCW World Champion (and technically WWE Champion because the title was merged — note: sorry Jen I couldn’t resist), David Arquette was spotted partying it up in Miami. After hitting up some gay bars, and hanging out with Wee-man, David went and got himself a new tattoo to celebrate his newfound singledom.
Which brings us to the end of this week’s news. I hope everyone has a great weekend, and remember, if you ever stumble upon a news story that you think should be included in the ModBlog news of the week, just click here to send in the link.
When I first read the description for this first photo I was confused. For some reason I read “sub-clavical piercings” but I couldn’t see them. Then I re-read it and realized what it was that caught my attention in the first place, her 3D implants. For some people the look of collar bones can be big turn on, and in Ratcaver’s case, she now has two sets. Her own, as well as her implants. They’re a little tricky to see in the first photo, but are very well defined in the second one. I’ve also included a third photo after the break that she sent in from before she had the implants done. Obviously Ratcaver is a Bowie fan, as she’s recreated the cover for Aladdin Sane in this first photo. You can also see some of her other piercings. All of them and the implants, with the exception of her lobes were done by Jeffery from Paradigm Bodyart in Arnhem, The Netherlands.
The second photo is a self portrait that evokes the image of Bond Girl Shirley Eaton from Goldfinger. With the change in lighting you can see the implants much more clearly.
There’s one more image taken before the implants were inserted, but you’ll have to keep reading to check it out.
It’s Black Friday which means you’re either out brawling in store over the best deal on overpriced electronics, or you’re curled up at home nursing your food hangover. In either case, it is still Friday which means it’s time for another scarification follow-up.
This week we’re looking at another scar by John Joyce. Now there are two fresh pictures as the cutting was done in multiple sessions, which means you’ll get a chance to see how the initial cutting healed up in the time between the two sessions.
Keep on reading to see how it healed up.
Well, it’s been 15 months now since the scar was cut, and here’s how it looks today.
It’s interesting to see how the scar healed differently in the area by the knee as opposed to the upper thigh. I’m guessing that has to do with there being more movement in that area. To check out more of John’s work, head on over to his scarification gallery.
If you’ve had scar work done, or are a scarification artist, please send in your fresh and healed scar photos for the Friday Follow-ups. One of the most popular requests I get whenever a fresh scar is posted is for a follow up photo.
This past weekend, I went to the 18th Annual Tattoo Arts Festival in Richmond Virginia, just as I have most every November for the past decade. Out of all the conventions within a few hours from me, this one has always been my favorite. This was the show where I first witnessed true legends of the tattoo world work, where I first had my photos taken for a magazine and where I first met Shawn Porter many moons ago. Not to mention the parties, dear Jeebus, the parties. I have been to a lot of other conventions and a ton of other parties, but never have the two been combined together in such delightful excess as they are every year at the winter Richmond show.
A few days after returning home, kicking the hangover and returning to work I hear the sad news……….. Billy Eason, the man behind this convention for the last 18 years, as well as many other conventions, has passed on.
Billy was an old school American badass, one of the last of a dying breed.
He left his mark all over Richmond’s tattoo scene by his opening of Red Dragon and Capital Tattoo. He left a much larger mark still on the international tattoo convention scene, not only by the conventions he threw, but by the precedents they set. He raised the bar for what was to be expected from a tattoo convention and he became a legend because of that.
So whether you knew Billy, knew of Billy or are just learning who he is take a moment to pay respects to one of the men who helped define the tattoo conventions which are now more popular than ever.
When I first started posting on ModBlog, one of the first things I did, was a short interview with Gregory. Greg and I were not friends way back when. In fact, I think it’s safe to say we disliked each other quite a bit. Life is funny though and it has a way of turning things around and you end up finding out that person you really didn’t like is not so bad after all.
Recently, I happened to see the new work that Greg is turning out and I thought it was time to catch up with one of IAM’s more controversial and outspoken members and find out what was new.
Click to keep reading…
Life doesn’t always deal us the hand we’re looking for. Suffering a serious motorcycle accident and then battling cancer might cause another person to fold and give up. Not Greg. But nothing is ever quite as it seems and, opening himself up and showing me a more vulnerable side, Greg confessed to me that for nearly three years after his accident, he was a drug addict, addicted to pain medication, and it wasn’t until he was diagnosed with cancer that he quit the drugs.
This isn’t a sad story though because, as Greg tells me, “With my melon finally getting its shit together and me moving out of East Van and all of its negative vibe I am once again the Greg of old.” Like any rebirth, beauty rises from the ashes and Greg’s work is just that, beauty.
Wondering about his inspiration, I asked Greg to explain how he came up with these new designs:
The new stuff came about while I was looking at this woman wearing glasses and the frames she had on. They have what is called a torx screw holding most of it all together. Then out of nowhere I said that would be cool looking finger ring. Lucky me who just happens to use Solidworks, I went into my shop the next day and started to fuck around. It took me a few days of looking but I found a company in the great white north that manufactured the torx screws. Once I nailed that down I got started messing around on my lathe and mill. These rings were all just up inside my messed up melon and I just did what I thought I saw. But now that I have had a chance to see them and touch with my one good grubby hand I see what I want to do next. The two finger ring was just for shits and giggles and I of course want to change that up to but this time I will use torx screws and something else which I can not tell you about or I would be forced to kill you…
What’s up Greg’s sleeve remains a mystery but he did share some of what he’ll be doing in the future. Next fall Greg will be taking that mighty leap back into the murky waters of education as a full time student at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. There will be no stopping him then! If you want to keep tabs on Greg (or maybe order a ring for someone or for yourself), you can visit his website: http://www.gregorycullum.com
One of the reasons I wanted to interview Greg back then and why I’m posting this now is because while we deservedly give a lot of focus to the practitioners of body modification, we often don’t stop to find out about the rest of us. I’m not talking about long dramatized stories about what a tattoo means to you so you can get some air time on TV, but who we really are and what we’re really up to.
I did promise you I’d be serious this Friday and I like to keep my word. There is a lot of negative energy thrown out there in the world. I’m a little tired of it personally. So let’s take a minute and focus on the positives of triumph over adversity and creating beauty in the wake of something ugly. Have a happy and safe weekend folks.
I don’t know how she does it. Everything Joey Pang touches seems to come out breathtakingly beautiful. If I didn’t know any better I’d swear that she uses watercolors and brushes for her art, and not tattoo ink and needles.
