Big News In My Camp

Some of you may or may not know that my boyfriend, soon to be husband, is a world-famous tattooer. He’s been tattooing for about 13 years now, and even if he’s not as world-famous as I initially suggested, he is pretty well known and respected, especially in the tattoo community.

A former manger at the Orange Park Inksmith & Rogers, last year he decided to try an experiment and moved over to a custom-only studio in Riverside, opened by Graham and Tim over at 8th Day.

However, I am excited to announce that an opportunity that was too good to pass up arose, and Nick Wagner will be opening Black Hive Tattoo in Riverside, mid-November.

I think that I can safely say that tattoos are intriguing for lots of people: both those who have them, and those who don’t. There are issues of permance and of pain, of minds that get changed and of meaning. There is also alot of misconception about tattoo artists.

The people that I have met and come to know who tattoo tend to view it somewhere between an art and a craft: on the best days it can be an expression of an artist’s vision, a pushing of technical boundaries and a deepening of knowledge. On the worst days, it’s a way to make a decent living with drawing skills. For the most part they are "normal" people who have figured out a way to live more-or-less on their own terms: travel, flexible work schedules, decent pay, and so, don't feel the need for khaki conformity.

Nick’s view is that it is an art, and he is proud of the work that he does. He shares ideas, comments and critiques with his friends, while taking the practical application to heart (i.e. he’s cleaner than the board of health). Of course, there are those working in the field who don’t have the skill or the drive to do good work, but then again, in many ways its just like anything else: you get what you pay for.

With Black Hive, Nick is striving to be the best tattoo shop in Florida; for the most part, his work speaks for itself, and he plans to invite lots of his talented friends over for guest spots.

And as we know more, I’ll post it here. Wish us luck!