Tattoo For the Turtles
Without a doubt, the worst thing about this summer has been the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. If you haven’t heard about the BP oil disaster, then I’m guessing you’ve recently scuttled out from beneath a rock. For the rest of us out there who are well aware of the oil spill and cringe every time we think about it, here’s something even worse for you to consider: between April 30th and June 25th, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recovered 555 sea turtles from within the oil spill affected area. Of those 555 turtles, 417 were dead.
Man. And that’s just the beginning. Turtles are certainly not the only aquatic life being affected by this nightmare, but of the seven species of sea turtles in the world, five of them inhabit the Gulf of Mexico. Furthermore, the most endangered species of sea-turtle, the Kemp’s Ridley turtle, also lives in the Gulf.
All of this is extremely frustrating and distressing news. But what can the average person do? Well, Tantrix Tattoo, a Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada based tattoo shop is doing their best to answer that question. Shop owners Leanne and Mike Thompson-Hill have devised a one day campaign on July 4th, during which time turtle tattoos will be done for each. All the proceeds from these tattoos will then go to Florida based The Turtle Hospital, an organization which works to rescue sea turtles from the oil saturated Gulf of Mexico. In addition to offering tattoos on July 4th, Mike Thompson-Hill will continue to do turtle tattoos for for the remainder of the year, with all the proceeds going to The Turtle Hospital.
“The tattoo shop is already nearly booked solid for the event, but shop owner Leanne Thompson-Hill says it’s as much about motivating others to make a difference as it is getting the art.
“We’re all a part of it. We all use oil; we all use gas; this is all our problem,” she said.”
This is just awesome. I really applaud the Thompson-Hill’s for getting involved in a unique way and doing their part to incorporate their tattoo shop into the ongoing effort to help out with one of the worst manmade disasters in decades. I’d also like to encourage other tattoo shop owners or artists out there to consider doing something similar. What a great way to really emphasize the kindness and sense of community that is so prevalent amongst tattooists and their art. If we could get something like this going at even one tattoo shop in every state or province that have tattoo shops, a really big difference could be made.
Come on folks! Let’s make it happen.
Tags: BP oil spill, Flash, gulf of mexico oil spill, Inspired, kemp’s ridley turtle, leanne thompson-hill, mike thompson-hill, News, saskatoon, sea turtles, Stories, tantrix tattoo, Tattoo Artists, tattoo blog, the national oceanic and atmospheric administration, the turtle hospital, Workforce
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Meet Claire Reid!
It’s a good thing that Claire Reid didn’t pursue her university degree in sociology. I guess that’s bad for the world of sociology, but Reid’s desire to pursue art as her number one passion ultimately led to the tattoo world gaining an indispensable tattooist. That’s not to say however, that it was an easy path for her.
After finishing university with the aforementioned sociology degree, Reid opened her own contemporary art gallery, which specialized in the sale of paintings, ceramics and glass. While running the gallery she studied art and did her best to learn as much as she could from such artistic surroundings. Despite being very much a passion project, Reid’s art gallery simply couldn’t bring forth the sort of money that Reid needed to survive, and so she had to close up shop. In no time at all however, she found herself a job piercing in Luton Market. It was here that after much pleading with her boss, Claire Reid eventually began to learn to tattoo.
After numerous hours of study and practice and hours spent learning from tattoo artists across the world, Claire Reid has very much come into her own particular style of tattoo. Rich in colour and texture, Reid’s tattoos are alive with a painterly style, which makes perfect sense because painting is also a passion of hers.
“I try to think of the tattoo machine as an extension of the paintbrush, I’d love to achieve the depth, texture and shadings that are possible with oil painting; I try to aspire to the looseness and fluidity of painting in tattoo.”
- Claire Reid
In my opinion, Claire Reid has very much achieved such an extension with her tattoo work. I’ll admit that when I first saw her tattoo work, I didn’t know exactly what to make of it. It really was like no other tattoo artist’s work that I’ve ever seen before. But wow, the more that I looked at it, the more I really see the influence of painting and particularly oil painting. It’s a very refreshing style that certainly deserves to be noticed.
Tags: claire reid tattoo artist, Inspired, Luton market, meet claire reid!, Pictures, Tattoo Artists, tattoo blog, Tattoo Pictures, uk tattoo artist, Workforce
