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Episode 6: Tattoo Expo Titan Tim Azinger

 

Tim has been putting on tattoo expos for 25 years which says a lot about his dedication to tattooing. And thats on top of running his own shop Pinnacle Tattoo in Pittsburgh. His flagship show, The Meeting of the Marked is the second longest running tattoo expo in the country right now. Thats no small feat in a time where there are 4 tattoo shows going on damn near every weekend. Tims shows are like family reunions bringing together artists year after year. And while the venue may have changed a few times over the years, the quality and the caliber remain a constant. It was my pleasure to spend some time chatting with my dear friend and my hope is that after you hear this you’ll feel the same way I do about my friend Tim. He is a friend of tattooing and tattooings history.  I could go on and on about the guy but you’ll just have to work one of his shows to see what I’m talking about. Congrats on 25 years Tim. heres to 25 more convetions years!

Be sure to follow Tim on Instagram @tattootim or any of the shows hes putting on. @meetingofthemarked  @ladylucktattooexpo @pnwtattooexpo @chchtattooexpo or directly on the web at www.pinnacletattoo.com

and don’t forget to follow the show on instagram  @thetattooerspodcast or me @davidmeektattoos or on www.facebook.com/thetattooerspodcast  and subscribe to the show on itunes and google play. It only takes a second but really helps the show a bunch. I really do appreciate it. 

feel free to leave me any comments you may have about the show on your favorie social media..

thanks everyone.

David Meek

www.davidmeektattoos.com

music by www.bensound.com

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Back to the grind in Tucson!

Well after being out of town for 7 days the old adage remains true. There is no place like home. I arrived in Pittsburgh on Monday the 24th  around 3pm to be greeted by my best pal Kernal Tubbs and Adon Curley. After a brief catch up moment we were in the car at around 100 laughs per minute. I dont remember laughing so much ever. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, the time change, or the mushmouth jokes coming from a couple of good ol boys (whose sole purpose it would seem), is to butcher what the rest of the civilized world calls the English Language. Perhaps a combination of all three but hysterical none the less. I miss these guys for a reason.

We ended up getting back to Ohio that night and hung out at the FX Tattoos til close. I miss working there so bad. The lobby is smothered in awesome flash and the hallway is draped with original artwork dedicated to the shop. It is such a rad place. We ended up tattooing there til Wednesday hanging out with some of my old customers and meeting some new faces. Everyone was super nice. By the time Wednesday came  there were 5 additional artists from different states all meeting at Tubbsys shop to get ready for Pittsburgh. It was tight quarters for sure but we liked it that way.(eeewwww)

Thursday night in Pittsburgh was the beginning of the end, and included some back alley haircuts with broken shards of glass, kidnapping a steelers fan, and a few cocktails to get the weekend started. If that was a sign of things to come we were all doomed.

Friday brought us all together again in the ballroom ready for action. It was a lot for me to take in still. Every time I see my booth in line with all the heavy hitters I wonder if I can hold my own, and honestly I still dont know. As for Saturday and Sunday the weekend picked up and lots of people came through aisles. It seemed like everybody was doing something amazing. Its nice to see everyone doing great work and having a good time together. I think thats what gives me the biggest rush, the sense of community I feel.

There were so many major details that and funny stories that eventually brain whiskey soaked brain had to push  some of them to the way back to make room for new ones. In the end I took away a re-enforced feeling of camaraderie, some awesome new reference from Kernal Tubbs and Lowercase J, some new flash from Joe Thompson, a gallon of new friends and a new nickname. Lets hope its doesnt stick to well. haha. You can bet you’ll find me there next year. Its well worth all the Mexican jokes.

Special thanks to (In order of appearance)
Jr and Mandi Tubbs, Dustin Arnett, Jeremy Seese, Josh Pyle, Billy, Adon Curley, Dan Paone, Josh Fallon, Krooked Ken, Tim Beck, Zane Leibowitz, Johnny Fry, Nate Deal, Kevin Chasek, Erich Foster, John Hogan, Lowercase J, Seth Leibowitz, Jeff Cornell, Charliegrrl, Josh, Tim Azinger, Joe Thompson, Pete Larkin, Desmond Mooney, and of course Wes ( the steelers fan i kidnapped). Im probably forgetting a couple of rad people so thanks to everyone that was awesome to me! Im very blessed to know you all.

David Meek basking in the glory of his regurgitation during a late night.
Moment Immortalized by Desmond Mooney

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Ashtabula Ohio and Pittsburghs Meeting of the Marked

It seems as though there is never enough time in a day when you want to do something awesome. I feel like I am so behind on artwork and only have 5 days left til my journey begins. In case you don’t recall i will be headed to Ohio to tattoo a bunch of friends and get tattooed by my pal Kernal Tubbs. Then we will all be off to Pittsburgh to the Meeting of the Marked Tattoo Expo.  I have no appointments scheduled in Pittsburgh so come on by if you want to chat or get tattooed.

In other news i just finished my book that will be for sale in Ohio and Pittsburgh. Its titled Flora Pour Ehemplo, a sketchbook of Birth flowers and line drawings. Im super excited to have finally put this thing together after putting it off for over a year. It will be a limited to only 50 copies and will come with a limited edition print for $50. All books will be hand signed and numbered. I will also have a couple of oil paintings and limited prints for sale as well as a couple of wooden plaques and limited prints of those too. All limited art will be signed and numbered and never produced again. Once its gone its gone so be sure to grab some original art or limited prints while you can.
Flora Pour Ehemplo, a sketchbook of birth flowers by David Meek Tattoos

And another little side note. I haven’t confirmed it personally but I’ve been told that a skull rendering I did in the spring of 2010 has been included in the book Cranial Visions. If you don’t have it, get it. Its a great reference for skulls and I think I have a piece in it.

5×7 skull. Marker and colored pencil on watercolor paper.
Skull Painting by David Meek Tattoos featured in Cranial Visions

All in all Im just really excited to see and hang out with a bunch of good people, Johnny,Zane, Ken, Erich, Cooper, Tim, Seth, Joe, Kevin, and Nate. And anyone else that is awesome!! see youse guys soon!

 

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October is here!

Now that October is here the Arizona heat is finally starting to die down. The average temps are now in the upper 80’s and lower 90’s. I know that doesn’t sound like October weather but after 3 months of 110 its glorious. This is also the month that Clint S and myself will be doing a wee bit of traveling. Heading northeast to Ohio and heading to Pittsburgh for the Meeting of the Marked Tattoo Expo. Im really excited to see one of my best friends in this business JR Tubbs . Working with him was one of the greatest experiences of my career and knowing him is one of the greatest honors of my life. Ive learned to Tattoo and “act” like a man. haha. Its gonna be a great week. If you are in the Northeast Ohio area or Pittsburgh Pa area from the 24th-31st let me know. Id love to do some awesome tattoos on ya or at the very least, Ill let you buy me a beer. Im always down for Realistic Tattoos, Portrait Tattoos, Animal Tattoos, Traditional Tattoos, Rose Tattoos, Skull Tattoos and anything else you can think of.

Here is a little tattoo I did Saturday night. It looks like a man did it.

Traditional Ship Tattoo By David Meek