Canadian Flag in the Taurus sign tattoo
HAPPY CANADA DAY – Map of Canada (1922)
Wanted. Experienced Artist to move to Canada-tattoo-carpa.jpg
Reaper – Ryan
Gagne@Classic tattoo in Red Deer, AB, Canada. 0 Comments. February 11,
2013. Categories: Tattoo Pictures · « My Jellyfish I got this weekend
...
An original Canadian flag tattoo design by Ryan Tews
ANIMALS BY CHERIE, Storybook Ink Tattoos Wetaskiwin
Getting A Native American Tattoo, or Mmm, Better Not: A Handy Guide
Club America Tatuajes Fotos Tattoos And Post Escudo Del
ParaDreams
Background to Tattoos & Body Piercing in Oaxaca, Mexico, Through the Eyes of a Lawyer
Lawyer
Kaireddyn (Kai) Orta began fabricating his own, rudimentary tools for
making tattoos in 1996, while still in high school here in Oaxaca,
Mexico. One day a neighbor saw him carrying a shoe box, and asked him
what was in it. Kai showed him the adapted motor, needles, ink and other
paraphernalia. The neighbor was the recipient of Kai's first tattoo.
Kai then began doing tattoos for his schoolmates.
Kai had been
interested in tattoos (tatuajes) and body piercing (perforación) since
boyhood. It was natural for him, since his father was a history teacher,
constantly recounting stories of rituals of Mexico's indigenous
populations. There was no shortage of books around the house with images
of pre-Hispanic peoples who were accustomed to self-adornment. Kai ate
it up.
But throughout Kai's youth, seeing tattoos in the flesh was
a rarity. Aside from in books and occasionally coming across a tattooed
person on TV, he would only have an opportunity to actually see real
live people with tattoos and body piercings when he would catch a
glimpse of mainly North American and European tourists walking the
streets of downtown Oaxaca, a Mecca for international tourism.
The
modern tradition of tattoos and body piercings had been established in
countries such as Canada, the US, Spain and Britain, long before it
arrived in Mexico. Like so many representations of emerging subcultures,
it takes upwards of a decade for them to catch on in Mexico, especially
in the more isolated and conservative regions of the country, like
Oaxaca.
The state of Oaxaca was by and large physically isolated
from the northern half of the country, and indeed the broader world,
until the arrival of the pan American highway in the late 1940s. While
the odd adventurer would make his way down to Oaxaca between then and
the early 1960s, it was the hippie movement later that decade and into
the early 1970s which opened up southern Mexico to the concept of North
American and European counter-cultures, including tattoos, and then body
piercing. However the prevailing sentiment of the Mexican middle
classes was that their children should be insulated from foreign youth,
and all that its subculture stood for.
Leap forward to the 1990s.
Change would begin to emerge in Oaxaca. Tattoos, body piercings and
other non-traditional forms of self-expression had begun to be perceived
as mainstream throughout the Western World. The silver screen and
magazines promoting its pierced and tattooed stars had become
commonplace. Oaxaca had to take notice. And that included its older
generation, which was then forced to recognize if not accept that the
ritualized behavior of their grandchildren (and to a much lesser extent
their children) could no longer be equated with something devious, dirty
and wrong, simply as a consequence of changing their physical
appearance through piercing and painting their bodies, permanently. Many
in the Oaxacan youth culture were becoming critical thinkers through
higher education, therefore better able to make informed decisions,
stand up for them, and celebrate them.
Kai is thirty years old.
Practicing law wasn't for him. By the time he had graduated and had a
taste of the working world of attorneys (less than a year), he had
already become an established tattoo and body piercing artist, with his
own studio, albeit quite smaller than his current digs. And besides,
most lawyers in Oaxaca do not earn the level of income that provides for
a middle class lifestyle, at least by Western standards.
Kai's current studio, Dermographics, in the heart of downtown Oaxaca, consists of:
•
The reception area with long desk and computer, tropical fish filled
aquariums, display cases with mainly jewelry relating to body piercings,
wooden African floor sculptures and masks (as well as a few Mexican
masks), a bookcase filled with albums containing drawings and
photographs of mainly tattoos, and two comfortable sofas where customers
can browse through the "catalogues" at their leisure
• A similarly adorned middle room with supply cases by now of course filled with modern, commercial equipment and supplies, and a small adjoining workroom
• The back room, with chairs and "operating" table, for attending to tattoos and body piercings
• A similarly adorned middle room with supply cases by now of course filled with modern, commercial equipment and supplies, and a small adjoining workroom
• The back room, with chairs and "operating" table, for attending to tattoos and body piercings
"Here
in Oaxaca we don't refer to ourselves as 'artistas,' Kai explains. "In
the United States there's much greater acceptance of the art form and
those who are dedicated to the skill, so in the US and other countries
such as Canada it's acceptable to use the term 'tattoo artist.' But in
Oaxaca we just refer to ourselves as tatuadores."
Kai & Colleagues Participate in Twelfth Annual Tattoo Fest in Oaxaca, Summer, 2010
During
the course of a 3 ½ hour interview at Kai's studio, his friends and
fellow tatuadores from Mexico City, Daniel (Tuna) Larios and his
girlfriend Angélica (Angy) de la Mora, were in the shop working and
otherwise serving customers, while for part of the time Kai was out
running errands.
Tuna has been a tatuador for 12 years while Angy
began doing tattoos only a year ago, when she began living with Tuna.
Together they opened up a shop, called Toltecan, in the nation's
capital. Before then Tuna had been doing tattoos for customers at other
studios. He was introduced to the trade from having had his body
tattooed. Angy learned the skill from Tuna.
But for Angy learning
to be a tatuadora was a natural extension. She already held a degree in
fine arts from a university in Chihuahua, and had participated in
several collective traditional art exhibits. "But it's easier to make a
living doing tattoos than as an artist," Angy concedes. As distinct from
Angy and Kai, most tatuadores in Mexico do not have advanced training
for other career paths options.
Tuna and Angy had come to Oaxaca
to participate in the twelfth annual Tattoo Fest, held on August 21
& 22, 2010, a couple of days earlier. Kai is one of three festival
organizers, and was on the ground floor of the concept when the first
fest was held back in 1998. "Until this year the event was called Expo
Tatuaje," Kai clarifies. "We decided to change the name with a view to
attracting more foreigners. But back in the early years we held the
exposition so that we could meet to exchange ideas, improve access to
modern equipment and supplies, and raise the level of consciousness of
the Oaxacan community, so that hopefully there would be a greater
acceptance of what we were doing. Now the purposes and functions of the
event are much broader, since we are well on our way to achieving our
earlier goals."
The success of Oaxaca's Tattoo Fest 2010 was
evident from the crowds (hundreds by all estimates) and sales. Tuna and
Angy between them did 11 tattoos over the two-day period. "I've been
coming to the fair for the past four or five years," Tuna explains, "but
this is the first year I can actually say that it was worth my while,
profit-wise, to come to Oaxaca. You know I had to close my shop in
Mexico City to come here. I think this show has finally turned a
corner."
This year there were approximately thirty booths, about a
dozen of which were dedicated to doing tattoos. In the course of a
one-hour visit on the Sunday, during that entire time each and every
tatuador was kept busy working - and in many cases there were onlookers
in queue awaiting their turn.
Many vendors had come from other
parts of Mexico to participate. They converged on Oaxaca to not only do
tattoos and piercings, but to also sell a broad diversity of related
materials including:
• Tattooing and body piercing equipment, supplies and other paraphernalia
• CDs, DVDs and posters all with alternative themes (both Bob Marley and Alice Cooper live on in Oaxaca)
• Body piercing and other personal adornments, wrestling masks, and clothing, custom-painted while-u-wait.
• CDs, DVDs and posters all with alternative themes (both Bob Marley and Alice Cooper live on in Oaxaca)
• Body piercing and other personal adornments, wrestling masks, and clothing, custom-painted while-u-wait.
The
event was much more than a sales opportunity for retailers, however. It
provided a chance for those in the business to promote their industry,
source state-of-the-art and otherwise imported equipment and supplies
(since many tatuadores don't get to Mexico City very often, and most
imported machinery, needles and paints arrive initially in Mexico City),
and entertain tattoo and piercing collectors, aficionados, and the
curious, all under one roof, the Salón Señorial located across from
Oaxaca's renowned Abastos Market.
As Kai contends, there appears to be three classes of people in Oaxaca, and presumably in other countries, who get tattoos:
•
The colecionista who usually ends up filling most parts of his or her
body, attempting to adorn with as broad a diversity of designs as
possible, or with a particular class of design or artistry (i.e. demons,
pre-Hispanic figures, animals, famous faces), often seeking to get the
work done by several different top tatuadores from various states and
countries if possible
• The aficionado who wants a few tattoos strategically placed on select body parts
• The casual individual who desires one or two tattoos for self-expression or to make some kind of statement, having seen a tattoo he or she likes, whether on a celebrity, friend or stranger on the street, or electing to do a specific design; a tattoo of the logo of one's favorite sports team exemplifies this type work
• The aficionado who wants a few tattoos strategically placed on select body parts
• The casual individual who desires one or two tattoos for self-expression or to make some kind of statement, having seen a tattoo he or she likes, whether on a celebrity, friend or stranger on the street, or electing to do a specific design; a tattoo of the logo of one's favorite sports team exemplifies this type work
It's not
unlike other hobbies and interests. Human nature remains the same. The
first category represents an obsession with collecting, just as in a
class of antique, salt and pepper shakers, folk art, weigh scales, and
so on. The second is an enthusiast who imposes boundaries, either by
design or subconsciously based on personality trait. The third does only
selective thinking about it, whatever the product, holding some
interest, often fleeting but long enough to result in a purchase or two.
In the course of the two day celebration of all that is still somewhat considered counter-culture in Oaxaca, there was:
•
Live entertainment including seven predominantly rock and reggae bands,
as well as belly dancers and other forms of choreographed performances
• An outdoor makeshift restaurant serving beer, soft drinks, and real barbecued hamburgers
• Panel discussions and forums with themes including methods for advancing the reputation of this alternative art form in Oaxaca, and dealing with allaying health and safety concerns through the adoption of US-style norms
• An outdoor makeshift restaurant serving beer, soft drinks, and real barbecued hamburgers
• Panel discussions and forums with themes including methods for advancing the reputation of this alternative art form in Oaxaca, and dealing with allaying health and safety concerns through the adoption of US-style norms
Health & Safety Issues a Concern of the Body Piercing & Tattoo Trade in Oaxaca, Mexico
Throughout
the US there are health and safety regulations relating to tattooing
and body piercing; not so in Oaxaca, though it's a hot topic throughout
the Mexican tattoo and body piercing community. The word "normas" is
constantly being bandied about. The tatuadores at Tattoo Fest, and more
particularly Kai, Tuna and Angy, made a point of indicating that most in
the industry follow US norms for health, safety and hygiene. According
to Tuna, the United Kingdom has the strictest, all-encompassing laws
relating to tattooing and body piercing, which he views as a good thing.
It
appears that virtually all tatuadores are sensitive to the clout
carried by the authorities, even without specific laws relating to
tattooing and body piercing. In Oaxaca it's the Secretaria de Salud
(ministry of health) which does in fact conduct spot checks of studios,
much the same as it does of restaurants in Oaxaca. It has the ability to
shut down a restaurant, eatery or comedor, on the spot. And the same
holds true for a tattoo studio.
The threat or perceived threat of
incarceration perhaps serves a positive function in the tattoo and body
piercing milieu. While Oaxaca's inquisitorial, Napoleonic legal code is
slowly changing (oral trials arrived in the state of Oaxaca in 2007,
albeit for only the most heinous criminal offences), the attorney
general's office still has the right to jail alleged offenders of
virtually any rule, law or regulation, where a personal injury has
resulted. Without specific laws relating to tattooing and body piercing,
perhaps Oaxaca's current legal system, as high-handed as it might
appear, serves an important function for the tattoo-buying public.
Certainly it appears to keep those in the industry in check.
"We
won't work on a minor, plain and simple, without parental
authorization," Tuna stresses. "And in fact, rather than relying on
written permission from a parent, for me, I personally want the father
right there in my studio when I'm working on his son or daughter."
Having
been trained as a lawyer, Kai has a special appreciation for the
implications of not ensuring a clean, safe work environment in his
studio, and following health, safety and hygiene procedures established
in other jurisdictions, "to the tee:" packaged needles; equipment kept
under wrap; gloves and masks; first aid, fire and related health,
hygiene and safety equipment close at hand; a "surgical" workspace
segregated from the retail portion of the shop; etc. The back of his
business card lists steps that should be taken by recipients of tattoos
from the moment they leave the studio, to reduce and hopefully eliminate
the risk of infection or other complication. Other tatuadores hand out
leaflets listing the same or similar precautions that should be
observed.
According to Tuna, in Mexico City one can take courses
in tattooing and body piercing at a couple of different institutions.
But they are for learning the trade, and are not government regulated.
Tuna views an inconsistency between government treatment of dental
offices and tattoo and piercing studios, and unfairness: "There are a
lot of dental offices around which are much less clean than our studios,
and whose staff do not follow the most sanitary of practices; and yet
the dentists are not subjected to the suspicion and innuendo that we
are." [At least dentists are required to have a minimum level of
training regarding matters of health, safety and hygiene.]
Kai,
for one, is clearly an expert at his trade. From the outset, dating to
his high school days, he would invariably read and otherwise learn
before starting to work on someone. He would always work in consultation
with a doctor, a relative of the family. The doctor was a most valuable
resource for Kai in terms of guiding him through all the appropriate
health and hygiene procedures, for every step. Kai has never worked on
anyone without approaching the task with a high level of confidence.
But, he acknowledges, "you never stop learning."
The Economics of Tattoos and Body Piercing in Oaxaca
Angy
is working at the counter, doing a pencil drawing of a 1950s pin-up -
with a twist. A young woman had come into the studio the day before,
wanting a tattoo on her leg of a vintage pin-up girl, but part of the
body to be non-traditional, as in one leg and half the head perhaps with
skeletal bone exposed, the rest shapely and feminine; as in a Mexican
catrina, as Angy puts it, "but with a bit of flesh on her body." The
customer is due back today at 4 p.m.
Two men in their twenties
come in to look at tattoo samples. They sit down and browse through two
albums for about 40 minutes, then arrange for one of them to come back
the next day for a fairly large black tattoo of the Pumas Mexican soccer
team logo. Then two younger girls come in looking for eyebrow rings or
other similar adornments, in the 250 - 300 peso range.
Kai's
studio does a brisk business. He charges a minimum fee of 400 pesos for a
simple tattoo, a tribal, literally "tribal," as they're known, or
perhaps a letter. It was the same minimum charge at the Tattoo Fest:
"Sure, some tatuadores will do a tattoo for 150 - 200 pesos, but most of
us prefer to start with prices where we can take our time to do quality
work that the customer will definitively appreciate, and therefore want
to come back, show off to friends, and so on. I've been doing tattoos
long enough, and my quality is such that I should command that kind of
price, and the customer is more than satisfied."
Kai and Tuna
charge within the same range. They both are happy to work by the job, or
per daily session. Kai charges 1,000 - 1,500 pesos per session, which
can result in a fairly substantial, detailed, color image. Tuna will do a
full back for 10,000 - 15,000 pesos. Each has done large, complex
multi-color tattoos for as much as 20,000 pesos. That seems to be the
top price in Oaxaca.
There appears to be a desire to reinvest
profit into securing a better work environment, and higher end
equipment. Regarding the latter, in most cases it's simply a matter of
imported machinery and supplies commanding a higher price, and the fact
that the options for Mexican-made equipment and supplies are much more
limited. Hence the desire to search abroad for more diverse product
lines. "Don't get me wrong," Tuna cautions, "there is high quality
equipment manufactured here in Mexico, but we lack the range in
products, and of course everything imported is perceived as better and
therefore fetches a higher price."
Continuing education also seems
to be a priority for tatuadores. A few years ago Kai traveled to
Guadalajara to take an intensive course. According to Angy, sometimes
tatuadores will take a brief, area-specific art or drawing course to
enable them to keep up with market demand. Most tatuadores do not have
training in fine arts, so seizing the opportunity to learn is something
to which many aspire. In some cases rather than turn away a prospective
customer for lack of particular expertise, it's better to invest in
learning a new aspect of the trade through training.
It's rare for
a tatuador to turn away business, but it does happen. It's usually a
result of the artist not being able to do quality work based upon the
requested design, than finding it repugnant. Perhaps it's simply that
tatuadores do not often encounter someone who wants, for example, a
swastika on the forearm. "Usually what happens is someone comes in and
wants a small tattoo, of whatever, on a finger or arm, and I know that I
cannot do a good job given the requested size, or that after a short
period of time the quality will diminish," Kai admits. "So I suggest
something different, something larger or with a different color scheme,
or for a different part of the body. Sometimes the customer agrees,
sometimes he leaves, and sometimes he insist, in which case I decline
the job."
"We can all use more business, but it's a skilled trade
which we want to elevate in terms of its reputation, so we must all
strive to maintain standards, as well as our personal integrity;" Kai
asserts.
The main reasons that customers do not return is lack of
funds for either additional tattoos or to continue with the same
project, or pain. "Different people have different pain thresholds,"
Tuna advises. "The sex of the customer sometimes is a determinant of the
pain one can expect will be felt, depending on the particular part of
the body. Working on the same part of the body can affect men
differently than women." Only 50% of Tuna's work is repeat business.
Kai
has a preference in favor of working on men rather than women. Why men?
Men tend to want larger tattoos, which translates to more artistic
license and a greater ability to produce a true masterpiece. "But don't
get me wrong," Kai adds defensively, "I love working on women, and do
just as high quality work, always."
Customers in their twenties
make up the largest age group. Otherwise, occasionally a teen comes in
with a parent, perhaps 20% of tattoo-seekers are in their thirties, and a
much small percentage comprises an older clientele.
Advice for Americans, Canadians, Europeans and Those from Further Abroad Wanting a Tattoo in Oaxaca
Tuna
admits that in Mexico there are perhaps two high quality tattoo artists
per 300 tatuadores, stating that in the US the numbers are very
different, two per hundred. It's difficult to accept his figures, having
seen several quality tattoos on the bodies of Oaxacans, and having had
an opportunity to speak with many Oaxacan tatuadores and evaluate their
dedication to the skill, and their desire to elevate its reputation
through self-improvement. Tuna contends: "If someone wants a tattoo that
I know another tatuador can do better, I refer him to a colleague. That
builds public confidence. For me, I know that in black, I'm at the top
of my game."
The triumvirate of tatuadores is ad idem when it
comes to passing along advice for tourists visiting Oaxaca and wanting a
tattoo:
• Don't rush; spend as long as required with the "tattoo
artist," chatting, looking at his or her designs, and examining the
surroundings of the studio
• Ascertain if the tatuador has a particular specialty, or higher level of competency in one area versus another (i.e. color as opposed to black)
• Address any health, hygiene and safety concerns, since while the ministry of health does have rules and regulations of general application, and spot checks of tattoo studios are conducted, no specific body exists for policing the tattoo industry
• Notwithstanding the foregoing, as indicated the lion's share of the tatuadores in Oaxaca do follow the American normas, those in the industry wanting to elevate their trade to having a more mainstream perception amongst the Oaxacan populace
• Look for instructions regarding how to care for a tatttoo, starting with the moment after leaving the studio, to reduce and hopefully eliminate the chance of complications - either on a flyer or on the back of a business card
• Ask questions, questions and more questions until satisfied that both the process and the end result will meet or exceed expectations
• Ascertain if the tatuador has a particular specialty, or higher level of competency in one area versus another (i.e. color as opposed to black)
• Address any health, hygiene and safety concerns, since while the ministry of health does have rules and regulations of general application, and spot checks of tattoo studios are conducted, no specific body exists for policing the tattoo industry
• Notwithstanding the foregoing, as indicated the lion's share of the tatuadores in Oaxaca do follow the American normas, those in the industry wanting to elevate their trade to having a more mainstream perception amongst the Oaxacan populace
• Look for instructions regarding how to care for a tatttoo, starting with the moment after leaving the studio, to reduce and hopefully eliminate the chance of complications - either on a flyer or on the back of a business card
• Ask questions, questions and more questions until satisfied that both the process and the end result will meet or exceed expectations
Tattoo Removal in Mexico
Tuna confirms some obvious reasons for seeking to have a tattoo removed:
• As required by an employer (i.e. change in job position)
• For the purpose of attempting to secure employment
• The individual was very young when he or she received the tattoo, and later had a different attitude towards this type of body adornment
• The quality of the tattoo was poor or questionable from the outset
• A change of mind regarding the image or towards body alteration, conceivably later perceived as adulteration
• For the purpose of attempting to secure employment
• The individual was very young when he or she received the tattoo, and later had a different attitude towards this type of body adornment
• The quality of the tattoo was poor or questionable from the outset
• A change of mind regarding the image or towards body alteration, conceivably later perceived as adulteration
With
the modest cost of quality plastic surgery in Oaxaca, tattoo removal in
the state proves to be an attractive option for those wishing a return
to a tattoo - free existence. In fact in Kai's studio on display there's
a plexiglass stand filled with pamplets of a Oaxacan plastic surgeon,
Dr. Filberto Fajardo, who specializes in laser tattoo removal.
This article's lead section may not adequately summarize key points of its contents. ... A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting indelible ink into ...Op-Ed article by author Leslie Jamison describes her experience getting a tattoo, only to find out that it said more complicated things about herself than she had ...
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