Geoff Ostling – Tattooed Man to donate skin to National Gallery

Mr Ostling’s skin was the subject of a three-part documentary series called Anatomy, which premiered at the Sydney Film Festival last year and was shown at the Tribeca film festival in New York earlier this year. Mr Ostling is featured in the first film in the series entitled “Skin” and is directed by Rhys Graham and examines the 25 year collaboration between tattooist/artist eX de Medici and himself and their negotiations in bequeathing his tattooed skin as artwork to the National Gallery after his death.

Ostling, in an interview with the Sydney Daily Telegraph, said:

“I wanted something unique, so I thought about a garden of plants, of natives and imported flowers, what you would find in a Sydney garden with a distant view of the city from Heartbreak Hill.”

On the subject of donating his skin to the National Gallery, Ostling has said:

“To donate skin is not the most amazing thing in the world but the tattoos are revolutionary. It has never been done as a whole body before and not in a gallery. People can be squeamish about it. Portraits painted on human skin hang in galleries around the world. They don’t tell you that, of course, and valuable books were also covered in human skin.”

As the National Gallery already contains some of eX de Medici’s canvases – they hope to display Mr Ostling’s skin as part of this collection after his death.

It remains to be seen whether this will ever happen.

Could this be an art exhibit at the National Gallery?

Tattoo Highway – new reality TV show

The A&E Network is premiering a new reality TV show this May (27th May on A&E) – it features master tattoo artist Thomas Pendelton in the new “Tattoo Highway”. You may remember Thomas Pendelton from “Inked” (Inked – The Best of Season 1) the reality TV show showing an inside, up-close look at the art of tattoo and its surrounding culture–Las Vegas style.

This new show “Tattoo Highway” follows Thomas Pendelton and his business partner and wife Monica in a 1970s tour bus that has been transformed into a tattoo parlour on wheels and decked out with top-of-the-line tattooing equipment. The show will follow Pendelton around the country as he creates unique ink art for the people he meets along the way. The bus has been christened “Ministry of Ink” and will allow Pendelton to tattoo anyone, anywhere – so expect the unexpected as they travel from Las Vegas to Los Angeles to Phoenix and beyond and I would guess encounters with a host of “interesting” characters who want to get inked.

“From the creation of the art to the environment that I tattooed in, it has always been about my customers’ experience,” Pendelton said in a statement.  “In a street shop, it was easy to forget just how personal that experience should be. Rolling up and parking the shop right in the middle of someone’s life, well, there is nothing more personal than that.” Some of the interesting tattoos that Pendelton creates on “Tattoo Highway” include a memorial portrait created from the ashes of a man’s wife mixed with ink; a tattoo created with UV ink that can only be seen under a black light; a giant gorilla riding a scooter, and a pair of matching eggplants.

For those of you who do not know Thomas Pendelton, he is a 15 year tattoo veteran, and was Carey Hart’s business partner on ““Inked” about the Huntington Tattoo Company – the first tattoo parlour to open in a casino. Following the success of this show, Pendelton now has the chance to front his own reality show – but this time on the road. A&E hope the travelling element will help to differentiate this show from all the other tattoo shows currently out there.

Let’s hope that “Tattoo Highway” is as good as it sounds – there are 13 episodes – so cannot wait!

Tongue Tattoos

Tattoos are a hot commodity these days, becoming more and more popular than they have ever been in the past.  There are hundreds and thousands of different designs and styles of tattoos to choose from, giving you the chance to express yourself.  Although tattoos are very popular, the new trend that is rapidly taking effect in the world of tattoos is known as tongue tattoos.

Although many aren’t familiar with tongue tattoos yet, they are just now starting to take shape.  They resemble other designs and styles, although they cover the muscle known as the tongue.  There are tattoos that cover the entire tongue, or just a single area.  In most cases, those who already have them, chose to have their tongue tattooed a certain color.  Whether it be purple, orange, black, or blue, the tongue can be tattooed a variety of different colors.

The designs that are poplar with tongue tattoos include stars, tribal work, and other shapes and designs that cover a region of the tongue.  Stars are popular with the lower area of the tongue, near the tip.  There are also designs that can be tattooed farther back on the tongue, near the middle of it.  As tongue tattoos become more and more popular, more and more designs are implemented.

As far as the procedure goes, it’s very similar to getting a tattoo on any other part of your body.  A tattoo involved needles puncturing the skin, depositing ink into the epidermis.  The needles move extremely fast, breaking the skin and leaving the pigments of ink.  The tongue, just like the skin, will swallow the pigments once the surface has been punctured by the needle.  Once the pigments of ink are absorbed by the tongue, the color will remain there forever.

Those who have had tongue tattoos in the past say that they aren’t very painful.  Unlike tattoos on the skin, the tongue is a giant muscle.  A tattoo on the tongue is often described as a tickling sensation or the feeling of numbness in your mouth.  When the tattoo artist does the tattoo, he will normally use a tool to hold the tongue out.  If you’ve ever had a tongue piercing, you’ll know what it looks like.  Once the tongue is out, the artist will begin work.  The process normally does take very long, as long you hold still and don’t move around.

If a tongue tattoo sounds interesting to you, the first thing to do is find a tattoo artist in your area who is experienced with doing them.  Not a lot of tattoo artists are familiar with tongue tattoos, as they are just now beginning to surface.  A tongue tattoo is a bit on the creative side – something that you just don’t see in public everyday.

Caring for a New Tattoo

When you finally decide to get a tattoo, the first thing you’ll need to do is find a reputable tattoo artist. Most tattoo artists have several designs that you can pick from. If you don’t find anything you like, you can always ask them to make a custom tattoo or why not create one yourself and get the tattoo artist to fine tune it for you. Remember you’ll have the tattoo for the rest of your life – so think hard about what you want. The design of course is the most important but you also need to know how to take care of it.

After your tattoo is finished, your tattoo artist will most likely cover up your tattoo – this is done for a really good reason – to keep air-born bacteria from invading your wound. A fresh tattoo is like a wound and is a breeding ground for bacteria and infection – so whatever you do leave the bandage on for a minimum couple of hours – this is important! I know you will be excited to show the world your new tatt – but please keep it covered – there is plenty of time to show off that new tatt!

Now the only time you should take off a bandage straight away is if for some reason your tattoo artist has covered it with plastic wrap or saran wrap – this is a DEFINITE NO-NO – so take it off immediately.

So you have waited a couple of hours and you have now removed your bandage – so it is time to wash and treat your new tattoo. Gently wash your tattoo with lukewarm water and a mild, antibacterial soap – don’t use anything too harsh – try Provon Medicated Lotion Soap if you can get it. If you are not sure – simply remember to ask your tattoo artist what he/she would recommend. Make sure you clean the area completely and do NOT use anything abrasive – use your hand to gently clean the area – clean as best as you can to try and prevent too much scabbing.

After cleaning your new tattoo, gently pat the area – do NOT rub – with a clean or paper towel and make sure it is completely dry. Then apply a really light application of your antibacterial ointment of choice – once again ask your tattoo artist for their recommendation.

After your initial clean and ointment application – it is now a matter of continuing to keep it clean – do NOT use any lotions or soaps with dye or fragrances in them – just keep it clean with unscented products.

There is a lot of talk about NOT showering with a new tattoo – this is NOT true – you certainly can shower – just don’t saturate your tattoo – and try hard not to get soap or shampoo on the area – if you do – clean it with fresh water straight away. Whatever you do AVOID swimming – so no pools – either freshwater or salt water pools – this should be avoided at all costs for at least a couple of weeks.

Now chances are you will experience some scabbing over the new tattoo – this is quite normal – a little scabbing is to be expected – so don’t panic! DO NOT pick and DO NOT scratch – this is very very important – this means it is healing so LEAVE IT ALONE! If you must do anything – apply warm moise compresses for a few minutes a couple of times a day to soften the scabs and eventually they will come off themselves – so once again DO NOT pick and DO NOT scratch.

So one more piece of advice is to always take care of your tattoos by using sun protection – tattoos can fade – so slap on that SPF30 sunblock and keep your tattoo fresh and colourful and whatever you do – SHOW THAT TATTOO OFF!

Tattoos as Art – Scott Campbell Exhibition

Make It Rain

April 11 – May 9, 2009
Showing at O.H.W.O.W.
3100 NW 7 Avenue / Miami / Florida / 33127

In what will be his first major solo presentation of his works, Campbell will showcase his unique aesthetic via sculptures, paintings, drawings and photography.

Scott Campbell was born and raised in a fishing camp, perched alongside a muddy bayou in rural Louisiana. With a clever knack for drawing and a fondness of stories, he began his career by doing illustration and assistant editing. Curiosity soon led him to experiment with tattooing and his immediate mastery of the art was undeniable. After a subsequent 18 month stint in Spain honing his craft, he packed up his skills and his tattoo machines and traveled for the next 5 years taking inspiration from the art and folklore of tattoo cultures all over the world.

In 2004, he opened Saved Tattoo in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Since then, it has grown to be the East Coast’s premier tattoo shop with a devout following of celebrity clientele. Campbell has the taken the blue collar grit and lore of tattoo culture and extracted a visual language and wit that are supremely refined and deliberate. He has an uncanny ability to tell a story with any medium, flesh or otherwise.

All photos by Norman Lendzion

Check out Scott’s own site here.