Cover Story
by Sarah Campbell
"The most common people who come in here are of the human sort," Davidson said.
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Local tattoo artist proud of his colorful and unique artform
-Tess Chierici, photo.
Tattoos cover his arms from his wrists to his shoulders. One tattoo is of a cross with stained glass and a pentacle. A bleeding heart creeps up his neck in an array of vibrant colors. He has had around 12 tattoos so far. "They are slowly becoming one," he said. "You can see a conflict of good and evil, an explanation of who I am." Mike Davidson has chosen tattoos as his medium for artistic expression.
"I enjoy being able to share the art form with other people," he said. As manager of Raven Ink, a tattoo shop on 82nd since 1995, Davidson has plenty of opportunities.
Customers are free to peruse the shoulder-height flip files that line the south wall of the shop. The files are smalls versions of the poster flip displays at discount stores. Each file presents a variety of colorful designs including hearts, crosses, Indian designs and a three-inch panda bending down to eat bamboo.
A woman entered Raven Ink for her first tattoo. She selected a one-inch pastel butterfly from a file. "I always wanted a tattoo in some small out-of-the-way place," she said. "I used to be a hippie before I married a farmer and had five children."
Tattoos are not limited to one class of people. "The most common people who come in here are of the human sort," Davidson said. "People get tattoos for lots of reasons. I think often times people get them just to be different. Some do it because everyone else is doing it."
Raven Ink employees' main concern is for the safety and satisfaction of the customer. They take great care in cleaning the studio with bleach after every procedure. Each employee takes a community first aid class as well as other classes to keep up-to-date on cleanliness. "I feel safer in our place than at a doctor's office or a hospital," Davidson said. "We make the environment as safe as possible. The only thing we can't control is the air."
Tattoos do not come with suggested sale prices. Once the customers choose what they want, considerations such as size, detail and approximate length the procedure play into pricing. The minimum cost is $50.
"It doesn't matter if people walk in wearing Payless shoes or Gucci. I price them all the same," Davidson said. The most commonly requested tattoos range from $200-$250.
Mike Davidson's cousin, Wade Davidson, is the only artist at Raven Ink. Mike greets the customers and transfers the design they want from the file to a sheet of atracing paper from a yellow legal pad beneath the counter. He takes care of the paperwork and cleans the customer's skin for Wade, who performs the procedure in the studio. A stuffed raven watches from a wall across from the chair.
Mike places the tracing paper in the thermofax, which he calls an "old-school copy machine." The machine makes a carbon copy of the design, that Wade places directly on the skin. He follows the design as he implants tattoo pigment particles into the skin.
Getting a tattoo can take a half an hour, a couple hours or 100s of hours over many sittings. For the more time-consuming tattoos,Wade applies the outline and then fills in the color and detail during following sessions. Davidson's arms have a couple outlines that have yet to be filled in.
Davidson said he believes artists can accomplish anything. "Some artists limit themselves," he said. "The further the art form goes, the less limitations there are. Tattooing is still a relatively new art form. Just since I've started, I have seen it get better every month."
The Davidsons are working to register Raven as a tattoo school through the state. First the shop must get the state-approved curriculum and then the shop has become a school. Mike Davidson will be considered a full-fledged apprentice and will be allowed to perform procedures.
In order to become licensed tattooists, aspiring artists must go through an apprentice program requiring a set number of hours of instruction. Then they must pass a state-administered test, keep up-to-date with continuing education and renew their license regularly.
Davidson says that once Raven Ink is registered as a school, he should become licensed in two years. He plans to add two more rooms to the back of the building. Then he will have his own studio where he can share his artwork with his customers. And that's where his passion for tattooing is rooted.
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