Wow! What a day! I can't believe how tired I am, but what a day! Let me tell you all about it!
First, we arrived in Kansas City very early this morning after driving all the way through from Dallas, Texas. That was a long trip, but I was so excited, I still couldn't wait to get downtown! After resting up a bit, it was time to meet my friend, Gerry, at the Marriott Hotel where the tattoo convention was being held. Gerry is a professional tattoo artist who I have known only online for the last 6 months or so now. This was the first time I got to meet him in person!
We get to the Marriott, and we were supposed to meet Gerry at the front desk. Well...I'd seen his pictures, but didn't see him standing near the desk. But there was this guy , sitting in a chair in the lobby....well, it kinda looked like him! But what do I do? Make an idiot of myself by asking him his name, or make an idiot of myself by walking by him twenty times trying to figure out if its the right guy or not! Well, I opted for the latter, and then sent my husband to be the idiot to ask the guy his name. Sure enough, it was him! Well, after I managed to drain the red from my face, we made our acquaintances and headed upstairs for the convention!
We paid our entry fees, got our free tattoo magazines, and were donned with these super-attractive canary-yellow wristbands (yes, I am rolling my eyes, Mom) and entered the beautiful Marriott banquet room, lavishly decorated with lace, linen, and crystal chandeliers. Wait! Backup! Ok, there was no lace, no linen, and no chandeliers. This is a tatoo convention! The room was full of booths reprensenting tattoo studios from all over, and very colorful people smoking cigarettes, drinking beer, and chatting it up with old friends they hadn't seen since the last convention. It was great! The very first booth was, of course, East Coast Al's! Al hosted this convention, so of course, we had to visit his booth and pick up a couple T-shirts!
Every booth had its own beautifully decorated banner with the name of their studio. Each one was busy tattooing some daring soul that decided to forego the comfort of a studio chair, and rough it by laying across two or three folding chairs, or by propping themselves on a nice hard box. Along with the tattoo artists, there was also a hennameister doing her delicate mehndi designs with toothpicks. Watching her work was a site to see.
Celebrities, you ask? Of course! Well, he may not be Brad Pitt, but tattoo celebrity Armadillo Red was there, working hard on one tattoo after another. He also had several pieces of his work entered in the tattoo contest. Many men his age have long since retired, but Armadillo Red seems to still carry the passion for his work.
The tattoo contest was next. One contestant after another entered the stage to show off their beautiful, wearable trophies. Some of the categories were Most Unique, Full Back Pieces, Color Work, and Black and Gray Work. Many of them were braver than I would be, strutting on stage in nothing but a thong so we could see the full extent of their tattoo art!
I must mention that with all the tattooing that was going on, one of the members also there was the Alliance of Professional Tattooists. They also had a booth, with informative brochures and pamphlets free for the taking, encouraging safety to always be maintained when getting or giving a tattoo. The Alliance is dedicated to keeping tattooing safe, clean, and disease free. There were also two autoclaves set up and being run on a regular basis, so all needles being used during the convention were sterile. There was a lot of fun to be had at the convention, but that did not mean that professionalism was ignored.
Then it was onto shopping! I must have circled the room ten times, stopping to see all the T-shirts, trinkets, and collectibles that were for sale. I picked up a couple more magazines, another T-shirt, and of course, collected lots of business cards!
It was a long day, but I am so glad I went. I hope to go for the full event next time as a registered member, so I can get the full benefit of the convention. The Alliance lectured on safe tattooing, and there was a banquet held for all members. But, next time for sure! In the meantime, this was a wonderful experience for me.
