Michelangelo and Leonardo had canvas and marble.
Cuzin Mick has the human body.
“I have been painting since I was 4,” he said. “I began doing graffiti art when I was 6.”
Now he performs custom art on skin.
And today most modern art collectors are covered in bright splashed of color and sentiment.
Originally from Long Beach, Calif., Mick came to Oklahoma when his parents retired and moved. He joined them after he got out of the U.S. Army.
Mick owns his own shop Inner City Ink in Tulsa and travels all over the country doing tattoos in the convention circuit. He was also part of the movement that demanded regulation of tattooing in Oklahoma.
“Regulations are important,” he said. “No one should be doing this in kitchen.”
Mick was the tattoo artist in Tulsa’s first legal shop when regulation passed. He now guest spots at local shops like J&G Tattoo and Body Piercing in Muskogee.
Greg Growcock, owner of the shop, said he likes having various artists in the shop.
“We only showcase the best artists here,” he said. “If you can have an artist who goes on the convention circuit you have a top tat artist. I would say 80 to 90 percent of Oklahoma tattoo artists can’t do that — Mick can.”
Mick said skin is the toughest medium to work on.
“It flexes and you have to move in the direction it goes,” he said.
Doug Brown, 34, of Muskogee doesn’t seem to mind.
“I love tattoos,” he said. “My wife does too. She’s actually a little frustrated because she can’t be here.”
Brown, who wanted to clarify he’s never been arrested and doesn’t do drugs, said he loves the art on his body.
“Every single tattoo means something to me,” he said while he laid on his back to have the inner part of his arm worked on.
“This is kind of uncomfortable,” he said. “But I just think of the outcome and it’s worth it.”
Brown was getting his arm colored in red leaving negative space in the shape of his home state of California.
“We came here because I wanted to give a better life for my kids,” he said. “At least here they can walk down the road pretty safely.”
Mick said he has given tattoos to a variety of people.
“The stigma isn’t there as much anymore,” he said. “I have tattooed soccer moms, teachers, districts attorneys, medics, lawyers and an active Catholic priest. Lots of people come in. It’s just art in a different form. You have to know where you want the piece, more than actually what you want. It has to fit and flow.”
And Mick is more than a man with a tattoo gun, copying stencils, he likes to customize his work.
“It speaks more to the art when you can just be inspired and let it flow,” he said. “Most collectors of tattoos including myself, will go to notable artists they respect and say ‘do what you do.’ You have to trust the person doing it or it won’t be a good experience. When you get a tattoo it’s supposed to be fun.”
Brown said the tattoos on his hands were probably the most painful.
Mick said it’s all about where you choose to have it done.
“You want to avoid nerve endings and the bone,” he said. “And if your going to get a tattoo, don’t come in intoxicated. When choosing a tattoo you should make a sound conscious decision. It should be something that speaks to you. Not to mention alcohol thins the blood and it could get really messy.”
From muskogeephoenix.com by Travina Coleman
