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OAKTON EGL 102 - The Tattoo Artist

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Jennifer CarilloCarol BustamanteEGL 102 Section 01420 January 2008The Tattoo ArtistSince the beginning of early civilizations people have used body art as a means ofself-expression and of commemoration of important persons and events. The Mayas, the ancient Egyptians and some of the earliest African tribes included the style of body art that we now call tattooing in their cultural traditions. Of course, their methods were far more primitive and far more painful than those available to appreciators of body art in this day and age…or at least that’s what I hoped as I endured the tumultuous Red Line Train ride over to Sheridan Rd. and Montrose Ave. to visit the Chicago Tattoo Factory—the oldest tattoo parlor in Chicago.Despite the angry warnings—which sounded a lot more like threats—from my conservative parents, I had been considering getting a tattoo for years. Last week, after much research, I stumbled upon an article in The Reader which awarded Dawn Grace Russell the title of best tattoo artist in Chicago. Her customers raved about her amazing technique and expressed immense satisfaction with their body art. I looked at her online portfolio, which was filled with awe provoking tattoos like I had never seen before. It was love at first sight and sooner than I knew I was standing at the door of the Tattoo Factory trying to convince myself that this wasn’t going to hurt as bad as I had been imagining for the past few days.From the moment that I stepped in the parlor I felt like a child in a candy store. Artwork of all origins and styles covered the walls of the Factory’s lobby. Alternative Chicago flags and vintage band posters paper machéd the walls that were not occupied bypremade tattoo outlines. Even the premade tattoos were amazing to look at. I was always under the impression that getting a predesigned tattoo could be nothing but cliché and unoriginal, but after browsing the walls of the factory, I felt as though the personal style of the tattoo artist shines through the ink, regardless of what generic image they may be replicating. The Chicago Tattoo Factory had an interesting layout which was unlike most tattoo and piercing shops I had ever seen—rather than having individual rooms in the back where the tattoos and piercings are actually done, the factory just has a lobby and past the counter each artist has a station where they tattoo and pierce, so all of the work can be viewed by awaiting customers.After taking notes and delighting in the factory’s setup and décor, I spotted Dawn.There she was, Chicago’s best tattoo artist, sitting at the back of the parlor diligently working on an intricate design that resembled ancient Hindi writing. Her bright red lipstick, nose ring and jet black hair made her look like she could have been the lead singer of a punk band at some point in her life. After exchanging formalities she led me back to what she called “her office” which was actually more like a nook located at the corner the parlor’s tattooing area. I could tell that this was her office right away because this particular station had the same feel as the art on her portfolio. The decorations that covered the cabinets and walls had an East Indian motif and while scanning my surroundings I spotted at least 5 different tattoo renditions of the Indian symbol ohm—which is the beginning of a sacred spiritual chant.Dawn left me so that I could set up for a minute and when she returned, she was holding two cups of water, one for herself and one for me. Suddenly, it occurred to me that although I was Dawn’s interviewer, in her mind, I was first and foremost a customer, and she was trying to get me to be as comfortable as possible.Before I could officially start asking my questions she asked me about myself. She thanked me for finding her interesting enough to interview and she seemed genuinelypuzzled as to why. Her modesty was both transparent and unexpected. We began to talk about her upbringing. Dawn was born and raised in Chicago—more specifically 5 blocks away from the Tattoo Factory. “I remember walking past the factory when I was just a kid. I always knew I’d end up back here,” she said as she stared out into the street at the people passing by.Dawn said that her family was full of punk rock musicians and artists. Dawn believes that she owes her art talent to her mother, who was a spiritual and artistic influence in her life. “My mother had a beautiful tattoo on her back and one day when I was about five,I asked her what it was and why I didn’t have one. She gave me the abridged PG version of what a tattoo was and explained that the picture of the dove on her back was a symbol for peace. I swear that even as a kid I remember thinking: That’s what I want to do. I’m very blessed. My mother, the rest of my family and my friends were all very supportive and encouraged me to pursue my art regardless of how tough the road was. Everyone saidthat that’s what I was born to do.”She recalls that as a toddler she had learned to draw and color before she had learned to speak fluently—or as fluently as an infant ever really speaks. Other kids likedher pictures so much that they would often ask her to draw stuff for them—anything ranging from ponies to robots—and she remembers that this brought her great satisfaction, even as a 4-year-old. When she was 17 years old, she was dead set on getting her first tattoo. She didn’thave a lot of money, so she went to a run down parlor on the south side of the city and a dragon tattooed on her arm. It was not ideal, but it looked fierce and it was sixty dollars—all of the money she had saved up. She describes herself as being way more excited than scared to get that first tattoo. As if by some form of fate, the tattoo artist—a heavily tattooed and pierced Hispanic man—at the front of the shop starts working on a girl dressed all in black who seems to be about 18 years old. I wonder if this is her first tattoo. She’s getting somethingtattooed on her lower back, but I’m far away enough that I can’t tell exactly what. He warns her that he’s about to begin and he turns on his ink gun. The sound it makes resembles that of a bumble bee when it gets way too close to your ear. On the other side of the factory, Dawn starts to tell me about her first experience with getting a tattoo. “It was absolutely brutal. I passed out! The guy who did my dragon was not very nice and very heavy handed.


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OAKTON EGL 102 - The Tattoo Artist

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