Centuries-old practice now popular industry

Though the practice of tattooing has been around for centuries, only in the past 15-20 years has it blossomed into an industry.
Many tattoo artists have only been in the business for no more than a decade, but these artists are in high demand, some with waiting lists that are months long.
Fifteen years ago there may have been one or two tattoo parlours in the entire city of St. Catharines, now there are three on downtown St. Paul St. alone, each with unique artists who undoubtedly put their heart into their artwork.
An excellent place to learn about the different artists and techniques is at a tattoo and art exhibition. The artists show their portfolios, buy and sell equipment, hold informational seminars and of course, offer their services.
Many people attend these gatherings, from local shop workers to visitors from as far as France and Japan.
One such exhibition was the Montral Art & Tattoo exhibition, held on Sept. 23 - 25. Unlike other tattoo conventions, the Montral exhibition also included formal art such as paintings and sculptures created by the tattoo artists who were present.
Although some see the tattoo as a lowbrow art form, many artists feel that the skin is the canvas on which they can display their true creativity. By showcasing artwork, they want to show the general public that they can do more than just ink; they can create permanent works that can be hung in the galleries and enjoyed for years to come.
One of the more impressive parts of this exhibition was a relatively new addition, commonly referred to as "Fusion", which was started at tattoo exhibitions in Massachusetts by Philip Lou, Paul Booth and Guy Atkinson.
Fusion works are created when a certain style of work is chosen for a canvas. Then multiple tattoo artists each create a section of the work in the chosen style. At the end of an exhibition, the works are commonly auctioned off with the proceeds going to charity.
If there is a specific artist you prefer, but they live half way around the world, you can still find their work on Flashcards which have images created by an artist as an example of their work and style. These cards are submitted to archives where they become available to the public.
If you cannot get to the actual artist and love the work enough to forgo having an
original piece done, you can have images recreated by local artists from the flashcards, although it is probably best to find an artist whose natural style is what you are looking for.
Each artist takes pride in creating original pieces, because the tattoo represents not only their reputation but also showcases their own artistic style and vision.
The reasons that people get tattoos vary as much as the people that get them. Some people want to look tougher; some will get images that reflect their personalities. Some will get tattoos to represent what they desire, some will get images of what their weaknesses are, and others still will get images that represent events that they do not want to forget.
Regardless of the reasons behind getting the ink image done, there are a few considerations that should never be forgotten: The ink that is done will be there until the end.
If you plan on getting an office job, you might want to reconsider that spider web on your neck or getting "pain" written across your knuckles.
But the best thing to keep in mind came from one tattoo artist who gave me this simple question to consider: "Will what you wear this Friday night be the same style that you will wear on a Friday night when you are 40?