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Monday, August 11, 2008

Ernie Gosnell @ Seattle Tattoo Convention

posted by on August 11 at 10:15 AM

ernie_resize.jpg

I left home when I was thirteen and first started tattooing in 1963 at a place called Buddy’s in Atlanta; my friend’s dad owned the joint. Around that time I learned how to paint signs and that’s mainly what I did back then, painting signs and pin striping hotrods. I roadied with a lot of rock and roll bands back in that day too.

Did you practice tattooing on those guys?
Yeah, I tattooed some of them. It was just a wild life, I was a young kid running around and was attracted to the tattoos because back then only hoodlums had them. Not too many bikers, mainly hoodlums.

Do you still paint signs and have your own tattoo shop?
Yeah, I still paint a lot but the demand for hand-painted signs just isn’t what it used to be. Most people just order stickers or velum for signs now. I paint for fun these days but I sell my paintings at conventions and do shows. I have some paintings down at my shop Lucky Devil on Rainier Avenue South. I had a shop in New Orleans for years too, but now just here. The shop on Rainier has some really cool stuff, man. Come by sometime. I bet you will dig the place.

ernie_paintings.jpg

To check out more photos from the convention go here
http://braydenolson.com/seattletatcon

RSS icon Comments

1

I think it's going to be real interesting to see all of these people that are getting really ridiculous, ornate, in some case body-covering, tattoos wandering around the halls of their nursing homes 40, 50 years from now.

"Daddy, why do Grandpa and Grandma look like nasty-ass, wrinkly pieces of silly putty?"

Posted by Ick | August 11, 2008 10:20 AM
2

these photos are tops!

Posted by KELLY O | August 11, 2008 11:35 AM
3

@1 Way to be a small-minded judgmental cunt. Enjoy your life of smug superiority and not knowing what the hell you're talking about.

@anyone with any sense of individuality --
Ernie is one of my favorite style icons.

Posted by it'smarkmitchell | August 11, 2008 3:23 PM
4

Those people always look so dirty. It's too bad they have to inflict their body image issues on the rest of us.

But I wouldn't worry about seeing them in the rest home - I doubt most of them will live that long.

Posted by small-minded judgmental cunt | August 11, 2008 3:43 PM
5

#3 - right back at you, toots. Dreading those laser removals in advance, are we?

Posted by Ick | August 11, 2008 3:50 PM

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