Updated: Feb 3, 2024
Here we are again readers and followers of Speakeasy Tattoo, Los Angeles. It's hot. Why is it hot? I'm not okay with this hot.
Anyway, enough idle small talk about weather. Last week I touched a little on some of my biggest tattoo artist inspirations and dropped some names as if everyone just knows who they are. And while many with even a shred of knowledge of tattoo history are certainly familiar, at least on the surface, with names like Sailor Jerry or Don Ed Hardy (unfortunately for the wrong reasons), some of the true pioneers and masters are often overlooked or forgotten. In fact, much of what we often refer to as "American Traditional" is not American in origin (how typically American).
Enter Sutherland Macdonald. Probably someone I hold in the highest esteem among all the greats.
Sutherland Macdonald, like another of my #1 inspirations Andrew Eldritch (of The Sisters of Mercy) was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, England a whole year before the American Civil War, 1860. By the age of 16, he was serving in Royal military as a phone operator. It was in his military service that he first encountered the art of tattooing, something very common at this point among soldiers. Of note, around this time troops were actually encouraged to get tattooed because.....it was easier to identify bodies......boy oh boy, isn't war cool kids??
Out of the Army, he worked at the Hammam Turkish Baths in London. This was located adjacent to the famed Piccadilly Circus. Truly a forward thinking pioneer, Sutherland set up a professional tattoo parlor in the basement of the Turkish Baths. By 1889, his time outside of his work at the Turkish Baths was entirely dedicated to tattooing. Thus, like many of us who do are accustomed to doing our art during our "free time," his time was no longer free.
Unlike the more common bits of think-lined, bold flash, common among sailors and circus acts of the time, Sutherland's style was a more elegant, fine-lined Japanese-style tattoos. As if keeping the fabled Opium dens in mind, he set up his studio with a similar aesthetic. Fancy Eastern motifs and an ever abundance of substances to imbibe in. All in hopes of attracting a clientele of status, also known as rich. According to an article from 1889: “Victims, though, I must not call them, for I was assured that by the use of cocaine, which is injected under the skin, the operation causes not the slightest pain.” (Keep in mind, cocaine was in nearly everything from kid's medicine to soft drinks at this time)
(source: Rachel Dawson tattoodo.com)
In 1894, Sutherland made tattoo history. He was the first officially registered professional Tattoo artist. He had gone legit, in the eyes of the government.
During this time, Sutherland developed his own electric tattooing machine, which he patented. Quite literally an electric pen, having more in common with the modern cartridge-pen machines of today rather than the classic coil machine. Ironic, considering pen machines are shunned with a wild disregard by traditional artists who remain "loyal to the coil."
A number of practices we take for granted today were first developed by Sutherland, including the practice of stenciling designs rather than the time-consuming process of drawing a design entirely by hand before even starting the tattoo. Further, he brought more color to the tattooing world. One thing to keep in mind is that during this time it was extremely common for pigments to be made using lead. Hell, lead was used in household paints in the US up until the 1970s and even longer in the UK. Obviously, lead is toxic to humans, so many colors (purple, green) remained unavailable to tattooists of the time. Sutherland was the first to create a green pigment that was harmless to the human body.
Something familiar to anyone living here in LA, his services also included permanent cosmetic makeup. Something that wouldn't return to prominence until nearly a century later.
In the late 1930s (you do the math) Macdonald was still at it. Ultimately, he passed in 1942, a life span including two World Wars as well as both the American and Spanish Civil Wars. The roaring 20s, the Industrial Revolution. The Victorian Era. The Jazz Age. Art Deco. Art Nouveau. What an insane time to live. Unceremoniously, and quite possibly insultingly, his death certificate listed him only as "water colour artist."
Sutherland Macdonald's importance to the craft cannot be overstated. He is absolutely one of my biggest inspirations. Take some time to google image search some of his tattoos as I have only included a small sampling of his amazing works.
For more detailed reading, check out Rachel Dawson's wonderful article at tattoodo.com. Lots of great images as well!
Hope everyone has a great weekend. And as always, we are all taking submissions for summer!
-Sweeve
Updated: Feb 3, 2024
Well. It is official. In the eyes of the government and as far as Los Angeles county is concerned, I am officially a registered "body art practitioner." That means that things are getting real for me here as Speakeasy Tattoo. I am beginning to take consultations and have my first appointments lined up already. It's nerve racking. Something that all my life as felt like one of those "some day I want to do that" is no longer "some day." With all that in mind, I realize that I have never truly introduced myself or given an idea of who I am and how I approach things.
Don't worry, I wont drone on for hours about musical influences again....mostly.....maybe just a little.
So what is a Sweeve?
Who is this weird ass gothic nerd in a dusty cowboy hat ranting about politics in the corner?
No, Im not talking about ancestry. Nobody wants to hear about what weird mix of German/Irish/American indian diabetic blood sometimes replaces the coffee that pumps through my heart.
So where do I even begin? Amazing how there is no doubt I know more about this subject matter than anything else but somehow I find it difficult to articulate.
Born in Colorado to an Air Force vet and a South-Western artist, I spent my younger years on a constant diet of Star Trek and Egyptology. And, naturally, those obsessions almost before I could even read, were translated into drawing. Constantly. On literally any and every surface (an ominous omen for the future). In middle school I would routinely get in trouble for drawing on myself, other students, lunch benches, bathroom walls.....anything.
Much to my parent's chagrin, it was clear from a very early age that there was a strong rebellious streak and any hopes of a "normal" path were fruitless. By 10 or 11, I was fully invested in the punk rock scene and spent my time going to shows at dingy "venues" (usually a dank basement) with people much older than I had any business hanging around with. It was at this point I set my sights on tattooing as an actual career path.
By 1999 I was in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was here that everything got kicked into overdrive. I began working at the notorious 924 Gilman St. A DIY punk venue on the level of CBGB's that gave rise to such powerhouses as Operation Ivy, Green Day, Rancid, AFI, Powerhouse, The Nerve Agents and on and on. It was here that my artistic dedication went haywire. Playing in numerous bands, getting the chance to tour the country, and dedicating almost all my energy to the world of graffiti. A natural fit to my already nocturnal lifestyle. Just not the best route to go in the eyes of the Oakland Police Dpt.....but what are ya gonna do??
By the time I was out of highschool and a fully functioning adult, my time was spent dedicated to my artistic endeavors, be them legal or otherwise, and myt path was clear. Do tattoos and play music. Make the best Gothic rock album since Elizium. But it is here where the cards we are dealt show their ugly faces. Aces 'n' eights.
As a child, I was diagnosed as an insulin-dependent diabetic. This is a disease in which one can function normally only if maintaining control of blood sugar levels via insulin injections. Because we live in the only developed nation in which the healthy industry is a privatized, legalized extortion, mafia-esque for-profit scam, this means that I could not be without health insurance without the risk of death. This meant I would need to have a career in which health benefits were a factor. Tattoo artists are independent contractors. This means they are on their own, so to speak. Which meant I could not afford the risk, both financially nor physically.
Needless to say this was a devastating revelation. This shook up my entire world view, ultimately leading me to something I vowed to never take part in: the "normal" world. College, a basic career. God help me.
Years were spent in college, aimlessly, for the wrong reasons. For other people. Feeling resentful and bitter. First going the route of European Military History, but ultimately completing my undergrad in Criminal Law. Needless to say, this was not where I was supposed to be and remains to this day one of, if not my biggest regret in life.....not to mention the most expensive.
It was out of that negativity that I met my muse. A frequent model for my art.
The woman who would become my wife. Someone who has always been my champion and encouraged me to follow my true path, seeing how unhappy I was. She was right. and we would make it work.
So here we are. Living the dream in West Hollywood. The end of a long meandering journey but the beginning of another.
So that was a bunch of self-indulgent yapping. What does this mean in regards to tattooing? The only think you even care about and the only real reason you are here.
I take a more classic approach to tattooing. More direct, less existential. My style and opinion of tattooing is entirely hedonistic. There is a train of thought that "tattoos have to have a deep meaning to the wearer." This is all well and good for many. Tattooing can be a very important aspect to people's lives and can have great spiritual meaning, but at the same time, it is also something we use to adorn ourselves. If you think it looks cool? Do it. The end. Tattoos should bring you joy, be it a connection to a lost loved one or nothing more than "lol, look at this ALOHA monkey!" If it brings joy, that is what matters, not necessarily some profound meaning.
Style wise, my heart is in the past. I always describe my style as "Sailor Jerry and Bob Wicks mixed with medieval frescos." A darker take on American Traditional. Bold lines, rich colors. As mentioned, tattoo influences include but are not limited to Bob Wicks along with Sutherland McDonnald, Bert Grimm, Lew "The Jew", Bob Shaw, Dan Higgs and so many more. Add in an obsession with pop culture and a hyper-critical eye for lettering and there you go.
At this point, I think this embarrassing self-congratulatory post needs to WRAP IT UP!
As mentioned, I am taking submissions! So if you are into classic flash or things of that style, you know where to find it. Put on some Bauhaus. Light some candles. Spread the tarot. Check out my artist page for more examples of my work, or follow me on instagram at @artXsweeve
Enjoy your weekend and thanks!
-Baron Sweeverton von Killjoy
Updated: Dec 8, 2022
Hello hello hello! Welcome back, friends of Speakeasy Tattoo. Its another gloomy day in Los Angeles and I cannot convey how happy that makes me. A rare and welcome cold front has visited us this week. Lets face it, anything under 72 in Los Angeles is an excuse to break out the over the top faux-fur coats. But maybe that's just me.....and I wonder why people are always lookin at me.
If there is one constant in my life, it is that people have always seemed to have comments. Be it my hair, my appearance, my height, my dog, odds are within 30 minutes of leaving the house, I will have to give someone a polite chuckle to something they think is clever. A good rule to live by; if something unique about somebody or something pops into your head that compels you to think "I'll ask or comment on this thing I noticed," odds are you are definitely NOT the first to notice that same thing....nor the second....not the hundred-thousandth.
This goes for tattoo artists as well. Any given tattoo artist has to answer the same questions at least once a week if not more. "What's the weirdest tattoo you've ever done?" "Do you tattoo yourself?" and so on and so on. One thing that is frequently asked is "is there any tattoo that you won't do?" And while the answer can range in anything from style differences to drunk people, one thing that any tattoo artist will absolutely draw the line at is symbols of hate. Luckily, there isn't a huge market for things such as this, but this does open an interesting question regarding symbols and appropriation of certain symbols by hate groups.
Naturally, the most obvious example is the swastika. Today, in the eyes of nearly the entire world, the swastika evokes an almost physical feeling of revulsion. And while nearly everyone knows that the symbol's origin does not lie with the Nazis, the association is almost impossible to divorse. I myself use the image of a wolf smashing a Nazi swastika with 3-arrow symbol of the anti-fascist Iron Front organization as my own "symbol" if you wanna call it that.
With that said, the symbol of the swastika is not uncommon in tattooing. It is, in fact, the oldest known symbol in history. The swastika is an ancient symbol that has been used for over 3,000 years (predating even the ancient Egyptian symbol, the ankh). Artifacts such as pottery and coins from ancient Troy show that the swastika was a commonly used symbol as far back as 1000 BCE. The Nazis didn't even call it a "swastika" but referred to it as a "hakenkreuz" or "crooked cross." The word "swastika" comes from the Sanskrit svastika: "su" meaning "good," "asti" meaning "to be," and "ka" as a suffix. Until the Nazis adopted it, the swastika was used by many cultures throughout the past 3,000 years to represent life, sun, power, strength, and good luck. Swastika signifies good luck, peace, prosperity, auspiciousness, and universal brotherhood. Any Hindu ritual, whether it is a wedding, Satya Narayan Katha, Nav Graha Poojan, Grah Pravesh, or any other Pooja ceremony is not complete without using this symbol. (source: thought.co)
To Buddhists, he Swastika represented all forms of positivity, good fortune, prosperity, and abundance often representing Buddha himself.
As late as the early 20th century it was a popular good luck symbol. A common motif in architecture, products such as Coca-Cola, poker chips. Even in the context of war, both the US and Finnish army have historically used the swastika from WWI and (in the case of the Finns) even beyond the end of WWII.
Today there have been attempts to reclaim the symbol from the nazis. There is an erroneous train of thought that the nazis changed the direction and tilted the symbol to make it their own. This somewhat true, but there are countless examples of a swastika with the arms going clockwise throughout history and cultures beyond the Nazis as well as various examples of it being on a tilt. A right-handed Swastika stands for Lord Vishnu and the Sun, while the left-handed Swastika is a symbol of Kali and Magic. But, it is this idea that has led to some to make a point of orientating the symbol with arms facing counterclockwise and without the tilt in order to make a clear differentiation from the nazis.
Unfortunately, the appropriation of ancient iconography of the Nazis extends well beyond the swastika. The runes of ancient Nordic cultures was completely pillaged by the Nazis, taking almost every sacred symbol of the Viking era and twisting them to represent on of the most regimes in history. This actually extends to modern-day hate groups all over the world. Now, it is almost impossible to see someone with a tattoo that could very honestly be honoring ones nordic heritage or pagan beliefs without wondering ".....hmmm....is this guy a white supremacist?" Its truly tragic that to this day these things have been tarnished.
Fortunately, with the ease of information access and a greater awareness of hate groups, many are making an effort to take back these symbols from the Nazis. With that said, it is important to be aware both of the true meaning of certain symbols as well as the perceived meaning of these symbols to the greater public. These are things not entered to lightly. Talk to your artist. Know the history and know the baggage that such a tattoo may carry, even if unfounded.
Hope that wasn't too heavy this week.
Enjoy your weekend.