NEWS

Enjoyed the opportunity to hang out in the studio last week with SEEN and Olivia and catch up on the latest in his busy life, truly and interesting and inspiring individual with endless stories. Richard Mirando (SEEN) “The Godfather of Graffiti”, born and raised in the Bronx, began painting grafitti in the NY subways, his influence in the graffiti world was of a monumental scale. SEEN now travels the globe attending gallery shows and promoting his own large scale projects and other forms of art.http://www.seencity.net/

http://puregraffiti.com/art/2009/10/seen-graffiti-artist/,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOhGn3EWQW8

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

Charlie Spencer and Phil Luck from Studio 21 Tattoo Gallery in Las Vegas have hit the road to attend the Tattoo Masters Invitational @ Hollywood Park in Los Angeles, CA. The convention will showcase 58+ tattoo artists from all around to unite and feature seminars from artists and historians. Rumor has it Charlie and Phil will be sharing a booth with Philadelphia Eddie, however that could change at anytime. We will keep you posted on this event, I am sure they will return with some stories of their own regarding all the seasoned tattooists, what an interesting weekend it will be. This convention is a charity event for A.skate Foundation which allows children with autism to be a part of the social world through skateboarding, providing clinics, grants and promote awareness and education.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYd7BCTdd4Y

I guess mimicking Mike Tyson’s tattoo in the movie was no joke for Ed Helms. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43145411/ns/today-entertainment/t/judge-rules-hangover-can-open-scheduled/

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.