Jennifer Stell

Ursula.... CONGRATULATIONS from Richard and me..... You guys are some of the most genuine and understated people in my book and even with our differences, I miss the fuck outta of ya. I think it's one reason I am like ok lets get the fuck outta JAX to the next gig... Any who, much love to you both! It's a sophisticated, and timeless design. You'll wear it well.

Thanks Mr. Hedgepath... We love you guys. Family For REAL. We'll see ya'll in Richmond, now we're in Conway, SC... For a few days in the country with the Cribb Clan. If you guys need anything Holler.

We were in Philly... At Mr. Perfect's Kadillac Duece... Now we are in Washington D.C. at Jinx Proof thru Wednesday of this coming week... We'll be back in Jacksonville. Florida by the end of that week... So holler at me if you wanna schedule something. . . I guess I'll just keep updating this thread as we come and go... seems the gypsy life is how we are rolling right now... and can't complain life could always be worse... I am soo tired though, missing my bed really bad right now.

Dammit Shawn... Just looked at this, and We are already in DC... HUmmm. Were coming Back to Philly, and expect a non butt dial'd call then. . . :)

Yup... Working at Eric Perfects shop... For a few days then it's on down to DC. . .

Richard said this to me once, or twice... He heard it from Hardy First... I have tattoos I hate... It's one of those... You can live with it, it'll teach you one way or another...

$$$ for a shop, Plan A is Vegas... But there is a Plan B and a Plan C... can never be to prepared ya know...

Don't worry we'll be back through.. Two big backs are being done in Dallas that he needs to hit regularly... And yeah... We are in and out.. that way we save $$ for shop... We can't afford to linger... Well unless it's a really profitable day.. ;)

I keep coming to this thread, writing a post, then... I end up not posting it, and maybe that's a good thing, because sometime shit happens when it happens, and it's good that way... So. . . I feel like a ping pong ball sometimes all the running around we do, and I know if there is anything I constantly get surprised by, it's the new tattooers I meet, and the level of skill, maturity, humility, and manners in them that makes me admire them, and really get into their "vibe"... And the lesser knowns, that fucking rule this craft, and keep it on a level that I will never get tired of being involved with and around... The new and unknowns keep the blood pumping and the fresh ideas circulating, maybe not inventively, but in a design or fashion trend way... Keet D'arms.. ATL, GA Caleb Barnard, Dru Bias, Casey Corklic, Will Card... Dallas, TX Brian Thurow... Denver, CO Steve Serazio... SPOTLIGHT Sal Trevino... TRUE Doug Love... Santa Cruz,CA Uzi... Sacramento, CA It's usually the squeaky wheel always getting the lube in a shop, but these dudes are the wheels that just keep rolling, no matter how hard things get... And they all take this stuff seriously, but manage to keep it fun at the same time. My heros of the moment.

Ended up with a majorly long post... So, after a few readings, I have like 4 or five posts to do... So for now, a quick check in with all the last sparrows... We took off from Jax Beach, FL to go to the Masters of Tattooing Show in Inglewood/LA that Permanent Mark produced along with Charlie Roberts... Well... We ended up: Making it to the Masters, (post soon about that show itself), then trying to hang out and get some work and other business related stuff tied up and as per usual, Hollywood had some dramatic irony it threw at us, and we had to deal with it... Even if that meant not actually dealing with it, the issue was acknowledged and addressed... Which was a bummer, but we had a schedule to at least try to maintain... Went to Vegas to get that whole thing roliing... it's in motion now. Then We had to get.. So I drove and gave Richard a break before we hit Phoenix, AZ... In PHX, we worked at Immaculate Tattoo, and I love that shop, and crew, good solid guys... (post about that too soon) Ended up staying in PHX for a week.... Hauled butt to Dallas, had work, but most of it cancelled... But it was good, Paint nite, and the Dallas guys are a nice familiar circle of family... Worked in Deep Ellum at Elm, and SnS... (post also soon)... Headed to Little Rock, did well, and had fun in a new shop, and around new people we hadn't been around... Tattoo Police got called on us, but otherwise, it was good... BBQ was awesome. Had to go to Atlanta, GA Richard had a good amount of tattoo appointments set up at Southern Star, it was a cool shop, I don't know any of those guys except Keet, so it was also a new experience, but good... (again posts soon about the two last mentioned places) Home now... Next week is Roc City Show...Which opens up a can of other shops to go take care of business in... Needless to say, I'm still tired.

That Back Piece was done in like 1 or 2 sittings... It's on Dan Martin I believe, he has Scorpion Studios in Houston, One of Richards old shops... Something in the water in Texas... Or maybe Houston... And the first was done a few weeks back in Little Rock...

I think the back piece is really one of my favorite things when it comes to meeting other people with lots of coverage... My tattoos on my back are my favorite, and it just sucks I can't see em... but that's what a photo is for right, so here goes... Top Chrysanthemums were by Casey Corklic Garland, TX, and the Jigoku Dayu was done by Doug Love, Santa Cruz, CA.. And of Course, theres a cover up or two. . .

Richard doesn't like horses at all really, but they do make pretty images, designs, paintings... These are from a while back, but you get the point...

A few pics of Richards. . .

Both Richard and I have appointments to get tattooed after the SFO show by Jondix. . . Super stoked...

Can't believe this thread isn't blowing up yet... Oh, I'll write myself a note to go through photos and pull a bunch of stuff to post...

Richard: "Chris was given that name out in Japan but it has a double meaning... It's one who flies close to the sun... or something, like you can fly near the stars but never truly be... I dunno, I have heard that from a few people, but I think Chris is one of the hardest working, internally driven artists to hail from Texas. . . Or even this hemisphere... so **** those *******." I would like to Quote Bob Roberts... "I'd rather be a first rate Bob Roberts, then a second rate Nakano." Either way I give it up to anyone whom displaces themselves in order to undertake the traditions, and learn the protocol for anything they love or are interested in. It's good to see, and it's inspiring.

He also added, it's a border town... Hard enough being a competitive business, but being a player in a border town game... Too many people cutting throats already, soon that shit will start to drift over the border... I say stick close to the campus down there... I think venting is a good thing, blow steam off, and keep it from manifesting in a bad way... and then making a plan to move forward no matter what is the best bet. And yeah the Punny Man likes to mix it up a bit in the word department.

Well... Richard said, " Your problem is Brownsville"... I will say the following: It's a business, I have seen it, and seen it over and over.... You can't sit online and complain about shit like this unless you plan to be proactive, otherwise it's just bitching about it. You know, there is always the welcoming committee, make sure they have their papers from the TDH, Drugs and Medical Devices in Texas... Make sure they have been inspected by the fire department, and they have paid for all their certificates... A lot of local public departments not just state level, have started to put their hands out and want their fees from tattoo and piercing businesses, and if you want to help make sure that there are minimal risks to the general public, get in with your local whomever, and put a few bugs in their ears... You will find you can help set the standards, and make the new kitchen jockeys jump through some hoops, at least not making it a walk in and set up shop scenario, with no nothing to even prove you own a machine, or a needle... IE, Blood Borne Pathogens Classes, and CPR, and First Aid certifications, that your shop has, but they haven't even heard of... Give people a heads up on things early you will find that they come back to you and ask questions, or look for advice.... Otherwise... Snitching is never cool... If you're not happy, and you are over cut throat business practices, get out now, as it's only going to get worse. "Rats jumping on a sinking ship", Richard always says... Start educating every person that walks in, and go check their shop out.... Watch them. And then if you really want to let them know how you feel, say something to the person in charge. Is it really necessary to devalue the craft as a whole? Do they know that what they are doing is respected by a great few, and they can choose to be part of the community, or not... If not, you tried... Bring on the stink bombs, and prank calls, along with whatever you come up with on a rainy day... But hopefully, you will be busy as fuck fixing their shit tattoos, and won't care... I dunno my two cents...I am tending to lean towards Shawn's responses more and more...

Hola Chica... Well, we are at Saints and Sinners in Dallas, until Friday it looks like, then were down in Deep Ellum, at Elm Street thru Saturday nite, maybe Sunday if it's booked... and yeah you got it bout covered, just message us, he's had an assload of cancelations, which sucks... But he's open if anyone is interested.

Ed Hardy on Richard Stell.... I begged for a picture. Worth it.

I was thinking, and then Richard confirmed... As far as we know, he got one of the first rose morphs on the back of his thigh, a piece by Ed Hardy, it's a design that he saw that was in a slide show he saw back in 1992... It hung for years in the shop, and no one ever got it... He was "amazed" no one had gotten the piece yet... And they actually didn't call it a morph, the term they first used was, "HYBRID"... It's a Panther-Rose... It can be seen in the book, Tattooing the Invisible Man. It's one of Richards favorite tattoos.

There's too many he has done, it seems like he does at least one in every place we stop... But, it's one of our favorite tattoos... I am proud of the Knee Tiger he wasn't perfectly happy with it, but... that's how he rolls.