TATTOOS:
I started tattooing by hand with a thread wrapped sewing needle in 1987. At the time I was in art school in Philadelphia, and living in my first squatted house. I was a perfectionist, and soon a lot of friends wanted tattoos from me. Finally after about a year of doing tiny tedious hand made tattoos, my friends pitched in and helped me buy a professional set up…in exchange for lots of my first pieces. Before I started using the machine on my friends, though, I practiced on myself. In fact, I covered my right arm, and both legs before I began really working on other people. True to the squatter’s scene at the time, I would set up shop on the dining table, and used a pressure cooker for sterilization.
That changed in 1989 when I went to work in t tattoo shop in California. Only one good thing came from that episode in my life. I learned the rules of the shop, and proper sterilization methods. Unfortunately, it turned out that my boss was a neo-Nazi, a fact that became undeniably obvious when he finally shaved his head in the height of summer to expose an old white power tattoo just above his hairline. I probably should have killed him (I mean, who knows what he’s out there doing to other people now?), but I wimped out and quit my job instead.
Now I work in my own small unofficial shop in Switzerland.
I make individual appointments with people over the phone or in person, because my location is not appropriate for walk-ins. Usually a single tattoo requires at least 2 appointments. One (usually in a coffee shop in town) to discuss the designs and to work up a handful of spontaneous sketches, a possible second appointment to view the proposed design and to make any alterations before the actual tattooing, and, at last, the appointment for the tattoo itself.
I try to base my prices on what I need, and what the customer has to offer. In some cases I offer barter as a means of payment, but if someone works a steady job with fair pay, they can expect to pay an average price for a tattoo. If someone is unemployed or struggling with his or her income I am happy to wrangle with the price until both of us are satisfied.
I have a clear set of rules for what I refuse to tattoo.
I don’t do racist, obviously sexist or homophobic tattoos. I also don’t do any tattoos of symbols from the major organized religions, or any nationalistic tattoos, with the exception of national symbols of people still struggling for a homeland, or still struggling against an occupation of their homeland.
I never took photos of my work until recently. Some of the photos I do have were taken with an old analogue camera, which I never properly learned to use, so some of the photos are hazy or discolored. Now I take digital photos, which produce a better quality images for simple documentation. Be patient, and return to this page from time to time. The gallery will grow and change often.
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