Story by Brit McGinnis
Photos by Alicia Greenwell
The small crowd was antsy but polite, shifting back and forth in anticipation. One couple kissed briefly, their young child in one of the few strollers in the age-diverse group. Two teenagers text on their flip phones out of boredom. Finally, the gates opened, and the staff workers collected tickets and stamped the hands of all who have been waiting. This isn’t Disneyland; it’s the 2011 Oregon Ink Tattoo Convention.
Children held the inked arms of their parents while AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” played over the Eugene Fairground’s indoor speakers. This was the second day of the three-day convention, and there were more people to maneuver through than ever. Some flitted over to the Jacqueline Thompson Design booth, where they could look at dresses with embroidered skulls. If they were lucky, the Mrs. Greenbalm Organic Tattoo Aftercare booth attendant would give them a squirt of lotion. Many a youngster nabbed free candy from the bowls set out by numerous tattoo artists looking to secure patrons.
Make no mistake, though—this was a convention for grown-ups. In addition to the tattoo-themed booths, entertainment was offered by way of a belly-dancing performance, followed by a lively burlesque number by Dandy Pie, one of the dancers of the Eugene burlesque troupe Red Raven Follies. Many other Eugene favorites, such as fellow dancers Sin DeVil and Dark Storm, also performed.
Angela Lees of Sunny Asylum Designs described the convention with sweet tact: “It’s just a bunch of sexy people and art.” When asked which of her tattoos is her favorite, she smiles coquettishly and lifts her skirt to her knees.”My octopus is my favorite.” And indeed, on her left calf, an image of an indigo octopus attempts to scuttle up her leg.
Jody DeRosso was one of many patrons, local and visiting, who paid to receive a tattoo at the convention. But unlike most she knows the tattoo artist very well—her design of butterflies and flowers was inked by her son, Aaron DeRosso. “He started drawing at sixteen, and I thought he had traced the picture,” she beams. “He’s pretty good at what he does, but I’m a little nervous.”
As an adult, Aaron takes his craft very seriously, explaining his technique in a quiet, artistically sensitive tone. “I don’t like brights. I like soft colors.” He specializes in Japanese designs, and says that he is happy that the art of tattooing is becoming more ingrained in mainstream American culture. “It’s not just the tattoo parlors.” Still, he maintains a rebellious attitude when it comes to the fifty-plus tattoos on his own body. “Not all of the tattoos have a special meaning. It’s like art you hang on your wall,” he says with a small grin. Then, Aaron began to carefully draw an outline on his mother’s shoulder. Her design was estimated to take three hours to complete.
As patrons and artists mingled over the course of the convention’s crazy second day, it became clear that the majority of convention-goers were nonconformists when it came to the craft of tattoo. Dandy Pie, the event’s burlesque performer whose real name is Dandy Pond, helped to run the booth of the Gypsy Queens, a philanthropic society of tattooed women with chapters in all fifty states.
“We really try to get together and do fundraising for a lot of different things,” Pie says. “We have a huge blood drive coming up, and we recently threw a sock hop for Soles4Souls [a shoe-distributing charity that works with disaster-ravaged countries].” The goal of the society is to help remove the negative stigma that tattooed people receive, women most often. “I know many people that are artists, run businesses, that are working in the government that have beautiful tattoos. To create artwork on your body is very empowering,” Pie adds.
As the day went on, the atmosphere remained mellow. “It’s real slow here, a nice change of pace from where I’m from,” remarked California-based tattoo artist Jimmy Bertram. Specializing in large Japanese-style tattoos, staff from Bertram’s company Black Shamrock traveled all the way from Bakersfield, California, to participate in the convention. “I hope to do two tattoos per day during this convention, maybe more. I’m not worried.”
A unique presence among the dark booths was that of Tina Bryson, representing Capelli’s Salon of Veneta, Oregon. The only permanent makeup booth at the convention, Bryson felt completely at ease among the artists who specialized in more conventional tattoo art. “We hang out,” she says smiling. She describes tattooing eyeliner, eyebrows, and full lip color with precise knowledge. “I use combinations of three different numbing agents: tetracaine, lidocaine, and epinephrine [commonly known as adrenaline, the non-synthesized form]. Those usually keep you pretty comfy.” Most of Bryson’s clients are over forty years of age, but like the Gypsy Queens, she does her best to buck the tattooed-lady stereotypes. “My goal is to look natural—I want people not to be able to notice your brows are tattooed on!” She pointed out her own eyebrows—a perfect nutmeg brown, and consisting entirely of ink in her skin.
Back at the Lady Grey Tattoo booth, Aaron DeRosso lifted the needle up from his mother’s shoulder blade. After forty-five minutes of intense stillness in an ergonomic chair, Jody DeRosso stood up to take a break. An outline of butterflies nesting upon what would turn out to be multicolored flowers was newly traced upon her reddened shoulder, all her son’s handiwork. With a tired but optimistic face, she wrapped a red cardigan around her bare shoulders. She joined her husband and Aaron’s father (also the recipient of his son’s artistic talent, with a memorial cross tattooed on his shoulder) in walking around the rows of booths. No one would ever imagine the art in progress on her covered shoulder.
 

Gallery • 2 Photos

A Maze of Color and Delight