Chris Conn is back!

[Iwar]

Now somebody go get tattooed by Conn

Just booked an appointment with him :)

[CultExciter]

So stoked! I dreamt about the day I can get tattooed by CC for years, & that day- my heart will be full. Don't mean to switch up in an utterly different direction I know I'm new, but that last statement just reminded me how bad I want to get tattooed by Tron too.

Then go do it. She's only up in NYC!

[hogg]

Just booked an appointment with him :)

OH, YOU WOULD.

Stoked for you, buddy!

[VeechLVX]

I know, my buddy just went up there & I sent him to her, I'll see if I can post a picture, I don't have any free time for some while, USCG Enlisted... When my free day's come though & I have my 30 days away from the Coasties, I'm road tripping up there; already have it planned out mile for mile. Now I just need to find shops in between on the way up.

Side note, this thread has been incredibly informative for this ex-lurker. Thank you all who contributed :o

[chrisnoluck]

So stoked! I dreamt about the day I can get tattooed by CC for years, & that day- my heart will be full. Don't mean to switch up in an utterly different direction I know I'm new, but that last statement just reminded me how bad I want to get tattooed by Tron too.

My girlfriend and I were in NY this past weekend and she got tattooed by Tron. It's the couple with the heart around it that she posted on her tumblr if you'd like to check it out.

[VeechLVX]

,edit

[VeechLVX]

Here's my little tidbit on the Conn/Cleen thing. Probably doesn't add much to the thread itself, or is really too informative; but hopefully offers up some conversation with someone with more experience or knowledge on the matter & on a whole.

I recently posted Cleens work on the Chest/Torso thread, & Androosh kind of checked me on his worked, but I didn't really get what he was getting at, not until I read through the rest of this thread.

So I always thought Conn & Cleen just had that specific style, like that was their thing. Found out about Cleen a couple years ago & I always knew about Conn; I learned of him when I was 15 & bought my first ever book of tattooers, Horitaka's "Tattooing From Japan To The West"-- & it was God word, it was literally like my holy bible for quite some time (It's so worn out now even the spine is peeling off) & idolized many of the artist in there, Conn being one of them. When I found Cleens work, obviously I was blown away, & I thought I found someone who just mastered that "style" almost identically, without really giving thought to what's said about his work in regards to Conns, seeing as how some artist can tend to share styles or pick up off of one another's.

But- without any disclosed judgement, I definitely get it & for what it's worth, I'm glad I understand the whole thing between the 2 more thoroughly now & how the community looks at the subject.

[VeechLVX]

My girlfriend and I were in NY this past weekend and she got tattooed by Tron. It's the couple with the heart around it that she posted on her tumblr if you'd like to check it out.

Dude I was literally just there, that's awesome. It's a clean piece man, pretty dapper. Did you go to that tattooing convention?

[lving4today]

Well for whatever reason Mr. Conn isn't replying to our emails. Having heard that he's charging $500 an hour though, I kind of don't care now. Anything I'd want from him would be at least a two hour deal and there's no way I'd pay anyone $1000 for a hand sized tattoo. Fuck that. He's an amazing artist but I can get just as good of a tattoo from Mike Wilson, in the same town I live for $150 an hour.

Any word on Wilson's arm and getting back to the grind?

[CultExciter]

My girlfriend and I were in NY this past weekend and she got tattooed by Tron. It's the couple with the heart around it that she posted on her tumblr if you'd like to check it out.

Was she using that fancy pants rotary?

[hogg]

I'm a dumbass. I posted earlier that Anderson Luna does Conn-esque work. I was wrong--it's VICTOR KENSINGER I was thinking of. All you New Yorkers look alike to me. ;) Anyway, here are some girl heads that remind me a lot of Conn, but are all done by Victor Kensinger (soon to be at King's Avenue):

[Petri Aspvik]

is this Kensinger also? http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/28974_406459562137_5014791_n.jpg

I mean, looks too much like Conns stuff. Just too much, all to the red line and all...

chris conn - Google-haku

[Ursula]

Again, looks like conn but no where as good. I wouldn't get one.

[Kev]

My .02, All of them (and myself) are influenced by symbolism, Russian constructivism, and Art Noveau:

[Dhopper]

He (Chris) called me last night. Nice guy and now I wait. Luckily i have other appointments sooner with Dan Martin and Matt Rinks.

[MadeIndelible]

Conn posted this on Tumblr:

Hello All,

So, the time has come for some big announcements: major events have shaken my life up like a martini, and I have moved back to my hometown of Babylon, aka Los Angeles, and am in the process of opening up the first real SekretCity International Headquarters!

As you can see if you visit there, the official SekretCity website is currently under construction, as my business partner, Quan Nguyen (aka Mr. Q), is completely rebuilding it from the ground up. In the meantime, going to the site sends you to my blog here. As well as being a larger and fancier site, with more information and larger images, once the new site is up and running this will be part of a totally new system for print sales, much more fast and efficient than my current system, so that prints and other merchandise (i will be making my own t-shirts from now on, and also offering a few other new tasty things very soon!) will be sent out in a far quicker and more orderly way, and in new and better packaging.

As far as the actual location, it is a totally private space, upstairs, with no signs or advertising except for a small brass plaque on the door, all appointment only, and absolutely no drop ins. It is divided into two main sections…

After ascending the hallway stairs behind the red entrance door, the first large room is the Gallery, painted military green, with my past and current prints framed and on display (as well as for sale), and also a rotating display of any new originals that i have. this will also serve as the lobby/consultation room, decked out with big leather club chairs, coffee table, and potted palms.

The second room is the Workroom, which is painted in, of course, a nice, rich SekretCity red. One half of the room is my painting studio, where i do all of my painting and illustration work. The other half of the room is (yes, the rumors are true) a tattooing area…

Though i am returning to tattooing, i am still keeping painting a top priority, so i am only taking three appointments a week. i like to precede each appointment with a long consultation, in person if you live nearby, or over the phone or Skype if you don’t. This is not only so that we can discuss the tattoo and make the necessary arrangements to do it, but also so that i can get a good idea of what you’re like, and what you’re all about, so that i can make sure that this is a project we can work on together, and also so that i can design a piece that really suits you well. The more i know and understand about you, the easier it will be for me to really hit the mark, and give you a tattoo that works well within the context of your life, not just the contours of your body. I intend to give people good, solid, well thought-out tattoos that they appreciate for the rest of their lives, and i won’t waste my time or yours on anything else.

I have extensive reference books on many, many subjects, and really like to do my homework thoroughly. it is important to me to understand not only the visual look of a reference-heavy piece, but the layers of meaning within it. i am also an avid book collector, and if your tattoo needs reference material, and i don’t already have it, i’ll buy it and add it to the library.

Each appointment is an all-day affair, so there is never any rush, and there is never anyone out in the lobby tapping their toes and waiting for their turn. Just the two of us working on your piece, and taking as long as necessary to get the job done right. I will not answer the phone or the door, so there will be no distractions. There are no other tattooers here, and the only other person who might possibly be present during your session would be my assistant, Sebastian. Smoking will not be allowed in the studio, but smokers are welcome to use the hookah during their session, so that we can keep smoke breaks to a minimum. Plus, it’s super relaxing.

If you are coming from overseas, or just out of the area, please let us know when you contact us about appointment scheduling, as we have a few tricks up our collective sleeves, and we may be able to help you cut down on your traveling costs a bit.

The minimum is $500 US, and the hourly rate is the same.

if you’d like to schedule an appointment, please email me at: [email protected]. As well as briefly describing the tattoo you’d like to get, please leave your phone number (or Skype ID, if you’re overseas), and what days/hours are best to reach you. I will call you back as soon as i get a chance so that we can discuss the project and get the process underway. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND: right now, i am still painting, unpacking, and running a million errands to get this place ready for work, and get the lush, relaxing atmosphere established that is crucial to the entire operation, so PLEASE wait until June to begin emailing for appointments, as i will not be able to answer any messages before then.

I have spent many, many years working in street shops, and i am very proud of that fact, and i applaud those who keep that tradition alive, but, to be honest, i am 42 now, and after years of working in various shop environments, with many different policies and operating styles (some of which i agreed with, and some that i definitely didn’t), i am really looking forward to finally doing everything the way i think is best, whether or not it fits other people’s ideas of what a tattoo shop should be. The time has come for me to take everything that i’ve learned from working at many shops around the world, and arrange and design everything the way i have wanted to for years, and i can’t wait to get started!

i will be posting some pics and updates over the next few weeks, as things develop, so that you can get a peek at the new space, and what we’re up to.

i look forward to meeting those of you who choose to visit my new “dream shop”! see you soon!

cheers!

c

btw-if you’d like to, you can follow us on Instagram, @sekretcity for occasional pics and updates…

Mostly just affirming what has already been rumored. I like the part about his helping with travel expenses, though.

What I want to know is how long he will be tattooing for this time, but I guess we can't really know that.

[WeRnDoG]

That is killer I hope to visit one day.

[Kev]

He (Chris) called me last night. Nice guy and now I wait. Luckily i have other appointments sooner with Dan Martin and Matt Rinks.

Visiting Houston?

[Dhopper]

Visiting Houston?

Yes. July 7th.

Baltimore first week of September.

[irezumi]

Matt Rinks.

Right on. I have some work from him from 93 or so. Power lines bro.

[Kev]

Yes. July 7th.

Baltimore first week of September.

Get some lunch down the street at Cafe Adobe-awesome food (and margaritas if you drink). Dan's a super nice guy and great artist.

[blessedmatter]

Alright, so I've been "aware" of top level tattooing, however defined, for about ten years now... and the thing that made Chris Conn so appealing back when I first became aware of him was that he was executing highly rendered, elegant tattoos at a time when new school was dying, dave fox was inspiring real weirdly drawn shit, and basically other stuff that wasn't what Conn was really doing. Not to say that back then there weren't guys (who I'm probably unaware of) that were on Conn's level, but basically he was more unique then, perhaps worth $500 an hour.

The point of this post is to suggest that now with the likes of guys like Seth Wood, Grez, Valerie Vargas, etc. Why pay $500 an hour for work that is on par with others who charge less? I mean, if you're a big fan, awesome. But at the end of the day, I think it's lame.

[pikacat]

Alright, so I've been "aware" of top level tattooing, however defined, for about ten years now... and the thing that made Chris Conn so appealing back when I first became aware of him was that he was executing highly rendered, elegant tattoos at a time when new school was dying, dave fox was inspiring real weirdly drawn shit, and basically other stuff that wasn't what Conn was really doing. Not to say that back then there weren't guys (who I'm probably unaware of) that were on Conn's level, but basically he was more unique then, perhaps worth $500 an hour.

The point of this post is to suggest that now with the likes of guys like Seth Wood, Grez, Valerie Vargas, etc. Why pay $500 an hour for work that is on par with others who charge less? I mean, if you're a big fan, awesome. But at the end of the day, I think it's lame.

Well, if you're a fan of someone as an artist and not simply looking to get any artwork, it makes sense to pay the price they're charging to have a piece of their work. This is like asking why would you pay the price for a Dali (or what have you) when there's any amount of artists whose artwork go for less on the market. Likely, it's because you particularly want that person's piece of work. We all get tattoos for different reasons. Different strokes and all.

[blessedmatter]

Well, if you're a fan of someone as an artist and not simply looking to get any artwork, it makes sense to pay the price they're charging to have a piece of their work. This is like asking why would you pay the price for a Dali (or what have you) when there's any amount of artists whose artwork go for less on the market. Likely, it's because you particularly want that person's piece of work. We all get tattoos for different reasons. Different strokes and all.

Yea, you're right about the relativism that should be exhibited in tattoo related opinions. I'm still ironing out my idea/point, but I guess it's simply this: now that there is an abundance of talented artists, why pay the $500 for him?

[chrisnoluck]

Because they want a piece from HIM. I personally wouldn't pay $500 for a Chris Conn tattoo, but I probably wouldn't get tattooed by him if he were $150/hour. Just not a style I'm into.