Fifteen minutes to open, the line was around the parking lot. Rows of people had appointments booked ecstatic to lie down for a piece.
Staggering into the conventions, with lines of tables and stark overhead lighting, it looked almost like a pop-up clinic—only the nurses and doctors dressed in leather and denim, with tattoos and piercings from head to toe.
There was a steady hum of tattoo guns, constantly broken by the rock music and announcements: “The small colour tattoo competition will start in five minutes.”
The convention was not just an opportunity for artists to make a quick buck in a new city, but a chance to learn from one another and highlight their skills in a competitive setting.
It was almost an hour to get in, but by the late afternoon, the line had completely dissipated. However, the inside was still a zoo of customers and eager attendees.
Ryan Flynn, who attended the conference for his third year in a row, had this to say: “It’s good work, good pricing, and a good time … I’m here to get something today—a Japanese style, like a foo dog or a temple.”
Most attendees were there for a piece—adding to a canvas already stretched for space—while others had almost no tattoos due to “Work” or “Parents;” they were there to get something small and hidden, maybe on the upper leg or ankle. A few just came for the food trucks: “I’m here for the tacos,” a gentleman muttered, with not a tattoo on him, waiting in line with his girlfriend.
Flynn, tattooed just about everywhere from arm to arm, added this, “Tattoos, they look badass … it’s like an addiction.” Jake Herrit, attendee, held a similar sentiment,
“Once you get one, you basically can’t stop … I’m gonna see what they got, if I like something, probably get it, never know.”
By the end of the first day, many tattooists were booked flat for all three days of the convention. Although most of the work was traditional, each artist had their unique twist. With an array of shops from across Canada and such a diversity of styles, the possibilities were endless.
Take Olivia Chessman, co-owner of Stupid Cupid Tattoos, Peterborough, Ontario. This was Chessman’s first time at the convention, and her first-time in Newfoundland. “It’s amazing, everyone is so nice, the water is beautiful, we got to see whales yesterday, so we’re just in heaven,” she said.
As a tattooist, her style leans “Traditional, neo-traditional, some illustrative, but a lot of girly nature stuff too.”
Returning for his second year at the convention was Sweet Dave, from Hamilton, Ontario, with Baby Bird Tattoo. “The convention is wonderful. I love the island, I love the small vibe, it’s not too loud, and everyone is really polite—you gotta love the people of Newfoundland… I’m an Irish guy, I feel at home here.”
Dave says his specialty as an artist is “Canadian Traditional: skulls, panthers, snakes, anchors, and hearts with your mom’s name—just all the stuff you think of when you hear the word tattoo.”
Not every booth was for tattoos: some sold shirts, prints, or books. Sat with a content smile and a row of business cards was tattoo historian Ned Burwell, author of The Canadian Electric Tattoo Scene. Burwell is a tattoo veteran with over 40 years of experience—if you count his stick and pokes.
Since 2008, Burwell’s been researching Canadian tattoo history, and it’s become his vocation to document it. “The Europeans, the Americans, they’ve done such a wonderful job recording their history, but us Canadians, we haven’t put anything down into books.”
To him, this is a shame, he says that across Canada there are so many “talented, humble, amazing tattooists, and lots of crazy stories.”
Conventions like this, although commonplace in most industries, are relatively new for tattooing. For St. John’s, this was the 9th annual tattoo convention, organized by Trouble Bound Studio.
Consulting Burwell, my now go-to tattoo historian: “The conventions, they don’t have a long history in Canada—we’ve been tattooing for a lot longer. “
“They bring us all together, we can find camaraderie, we can find inspiration, and it puts the general public in a room with tattooists from all over the place—so you get a real flavour for who’s who in the tattoo zoo.”
