Athena Funk will be guest spotting at Studio 21 Tattoo Gallery February 16-20th. If anyone is interested in getting tattooed by Athena during those dates please call the shop for more information. Athena, tattoo artist/ illustrator/ fine artist keeps a busy schedule in addition to playing roller derby so take advantage of the opportunity and check out her work.
Charlie Spencer, Studio 21 Tattoo artist and owner, spends his spare time creating black and white pointillism artwork. Pointillism, a popular 19th century French painting technique uses small dots of pure color placed next to each other and when viewed from a distance tones appear to blend together. This style goes back to the neo impressionist art movement, Georges Seurat, being one of the most popular painters of this era. Charlie has chosen this style of tediously applying dots over and over with Micron pens to achieve the darks and lights of tonal value desired, creating great detail. In black and white pointillism the two dots placed next to each other create “optical mixing” creating a perceived single tone. His artwork has been displayed at various themed art venues and events including Cornerstone Gallery and Studio 21 Tattoo Gallery.
Art takes on many forms of expression influenced by countless things in our life: music, film, painting, sculpture, etc. Phil Luck, a traditional tattoo artists at Studio 21 Tattoo received this creative piece of art from a client. For those who know Phil, his passion is anything Coca Cola. Another unique and well executed piece to add to his vast collection. Artist: Sean Douglas
Recent news out of Thailand wanting to restrict tourist from getting buddhist images tattooed.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43249699/ns/travel-news/t/thailand-seeks-ban-tourists-buddha-tattoos/. Whether this issue is a question of being sacrilegious or an issue of human rights, tattoo artist speak out n regards to their government dictating which images are allowed in an official manual. Many cultures struggle with the line of separation between religion and business/government issues. Niphit identified six types of Buddhism-related images that must be banned as tattoos. 1) images of the Buddha 2) Buddhist prayer scripts 3) images of Buddhist monks & images of items used by monks: robes, alms bowls 4) Buddhist monk characters from films 5) Buddhist related buildings 6) The Wheel of Dhamma & the Buddhist flag. Other items also discussed were the ban of Buddhism-related items for commercial purposes, such as breweries, bars, restaurants, movie theaters, entertainment venues, gambling places, slaughterhouses and restrooms. Any merchandise should refrain from portraying the same religious imagery on alcohol, weapons, apparel, toilet supply, chairs and beds. Wow! Sounds like the Cultural Ministry has their hands full sorting through all their wish list of regulations. Hopefully the tattoo artists of Thailand can reach a compromise with their government on these controversial issues. www.phuketmagazine.com/tattoo-artists-seek-compromise-in-religious-tattoo-issue/
(Tattoo partial image: Tattoos by Swarm @ Studio 21 Tattoo Gallery in Las Vegas, NV.
Mike Biggs is one of our artists at Studio 21 Tattoo Gallery who skillfully works in various art mediums including digital art. Mike’s art delves into the contradictions between reality and fantasy. Click on the link to see Mike’s time lapse work on a zombie buick piece and witness his illustrative technique.
