Hampton Roads Tattoo Arts Festival

Published on Monday, March 7, 2016 by Katherine

Last week I asked my daughter if she wanted to go to the Hampton Roads Tattoo Arts Festival. I had never been but heard good things about it. I am not one to go to public events, but a tattoo show? At least it wouldn’t be boring!

My daughter was messaging a friend the morning we were going. Her friend wrote, “I’m drinking a mug of hot chocolate and watching Spongebob.” My daughter followed with, “I am getting ready to go to a tattoo festival.” Her friend’s reply? “There are two types of people in this world….”

I can’t do any better than that. And so I give you…. The tattoo festival.

When we walked in to the building, the first thing we noticed was the buzz of many tattoo guns.

closeup tattoo

tattooing leg

I think this is called a bamboo style tattoo. Watching this artist use such an old technique was fascinating. I do have to say, it looked painful… but the only person I saw openly crying was one who was getting a standard tattoo on his ribs.

irezumi tattoo

There were a few booths that had taxidermy items turned in to art. I also saw a few monkey parts in jars. My daughter and I, being animal people, found this sad.

monkey hand

cat doll head

sad head animals

I wish I had seen some of these tattoos once they were finished.

cloesup tattoo

Evil dolls. We saw many. They are the stuff of my daughter’s nightmares… but I think they are cool!

evil doll

I really like the concentration that shows on this artist’s face.

tattoo arm

Red 5 Tattoo is where I got my ankle tattoo. They had a booth at the show.

red five tattoo

I have never seen pro wrestling in “real life.” I don’t know if these gentlemen were considered “amateur” pro wrestlers or simply wrestlers. What I CAN tell you is they were completely entertaining. You don’t think this stuff is fake, do you?

pro wrestling

amateur pro wrestling

This is my favorite picture, because I was SO totally busted and didn’t realize it until I got home to look at the photos. It makes this picture even better!

busted

Heather Ras

LOVE IT! Wish I could have gone with you!
- Katherine Murray
  
  It was so fun… you would have loved it!
Ron

Katherine, I LOVE your daughter’s friend message reply – HA!

And I also think it’s brilliant that you shot these photographs in black and white because it added so much to the “feel” of each image. And what I especially find special about these photographs is how candid and natural they are. I feel like I could stare at each photograph for hours and discover things I didn’t initially see.

” I also saw a few monkey parts in jars. My daughter and I, being animal people, found this sad.”

Yes, I would have found it sad as well 🙁 And like you, I would have found the evil dolls very cool.

“This is my favorite picture, because I was SO totally busted and didn’t realize it until I got home to look at the photos. It makes this picture even better!”

That is so funny!!! It took me a few seconds to see what you meant, but when I saw it, I laughed!

Thanks for sharing your day at the tattoo arts festival. Enjoyed!
X
- Katherine Murray
  
  You know what made me do black and white? The night before I discovered the documentary, “Finding Vivian Maier” on netflix. You HAVE to look for it!!!! I KNOW you would love it if you haven’t seen it already… I wanted to finally break out my camera and take shots again. Something I haven’t done much of since December. Tattoo festival SCREAMED black and white. It really changed the pictures! I always forget there is the option of doing no color.
  
  Have you ever had someone stare at you like you were crazy when you took a picture of them?
  - Ron
    
    Katherine, I cannot believe you mentioned the documentary “Finding Vivian Maier” because several years ago one of my readers mentioned something in a comment about that same documentary and told me to watch it because she thought I would love it.
    
    At that time, I had no idea WHO Vivian Maier was, but after Googling her work online, I immediately fell in love with her amazing black and white photography.
    
    I have yet to see the documentary, but since you mentioned it again to me, I MUST watch it. Before leaving my comment, I searched on You Tube and found the documentary so I will definitely be watching it tomorrow.
    
    Thanks so much reminding me!
    
    X
    
    P.S. And yes, I have had someone stare at me like I was crazy when I took a picture of them. But that’s what I love taking pictures in New York City because no one gives a shit if you take a picture of them. That’s why you and I must one day meet up there and take pictures. We’d have a blast!
Cheryl P.

Now that is interesting. I didn’t even know tattoo arts festivals even existed. I swear I live in a bubble.

Things just makes my mind reel with questions and concerns. If I had ever seriously thought about getting a tattoo a couple of those images would of snapped me right back into reality. Holy sh** some of that looks worse than surgeries I have had. I am, also assuming they don’t prescribed pain meds to take home and get high on…oops..I mean pain relief from.

WTF is a monkey’s hand doing in a jar. Is that a thing? Do people collect monkey hands? Are other monkey parts collectible? Should I be on the hunt for monkey parts as part of my retirement portfolio?

Oh and seriously. what you you know about the people that are into taxidermy that mixes in baby doll heads? Did you talk to those people? Did they appear sober?

I am jealous as hell that you got to go see this stuff.
- Katherine Murray
  
  Ha ha ha ha OMG ha ha ha!!!!!! You made my day… “get high on.. oops…” That was good! Nope, no pain meds. I had my ankle tattooed just before I turned 50. When they started I said, “Is that ALL?!” My friend smiled and said, “Just you wait…” Sure enough… it feels like razor blades scratching over and over on the back of the ankle. The side is “tolerable” but after it was done I was like “Ummm OK I don’t need another.” It didn’t hurt after… you are so relieved it is done it feels good. 🙂
  - Cheryl P.
    
    Well none of that sounds fun. I guess I will be passing on having any tattoos. Still wouldn’t mind seeing a tattoo festival, though. That is nearly like going through the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum.
- Katherine Murray
  
  Oh, and there was a monkey head in a jar… a monkey hand. VERY sad. I think it was that some people collect the “bizarre” in jarred form. Not for me!
  - Cheryl P.
    
    Oh yeah, it’s SAD, CREEPY and BIZARRE. I would have to ask more questions of the person that canned the monkey parts. Did the poor thing die of natural causes and this was some strange type of monkey embalming? and if they didn’t just happen to come across a dead monkey, I would have PETA stalking their creepy asses..
comedyplus

Well, to each his own. I would have stayed home with my hot chocolate watching the weather channel. Okay, I promised my mother that I would never get a tattoo. I’ve kept that promise. I’ve just never been interested in tattoos.

I’m glad you had a great time.

Have a fabulous day. ☺
- Katherine Murray
  
  Ha ha! We are a mix of hot chocolate, spongebob and new (out of our comfort zone) experiences. Although I guess this ranks up there towares the unusual. There was a lot of buzz in the media before it that the person who runs it was purposely making sure it was a family friendly event. There were some amazing jewelry artists, painters… it was really a fun day!
  - comedyplus
    
    And that’s what matters most, it was a really fun day for you. Excellent. ☺
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