|
 |
THE 2ND ANNUAL
SALT LAKE CITY TATTOO CONVENTION
by Joey Vernon of Fu's Tattoos and Eddie Kolos / Chris Rappa from H2Ocean
From the April 2005 issue of Prick Magazine.
|
|
|
|
Flaco Productions and Lost Art Tattoo held the 2nd Annual Salt Lake City International Tattoo Convention this
past February 18, 19 & 20th at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Tattoo artists and
piercers from the four corners of the U.S. and from across both oceans gathered to showcase their art and talents.
With approximately 70 booths in the exhibit hall, the crowd filled the aisles all three days. To make it more appealing
and convenient for some enthusiasts to attend the convention, there was an art contest and a children's play area.
Even though this was only the second annual convention, the atmosphere seemed like that of a convention with a
long history. Besides artists from the United States, there were artists from: Belgium, Borneo, France, Germany, Japan,
Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The geographical and cultural diversity of the artists resulted in a wide range of
techniques and styles.
Along with being embraced by tattoo enthusiasts, the convention also gained the support of local businesses, some
of whom offered special deals including discounted rates on hotels, skiing and snowboarding, cover charges and drinks.
If you did not attend SLC Tattoo 2005, you should definitely consider marking your calendar for next year's convention
on February 17, 18 & 19. Details can be found at: www.slctattoo.com
– Chris Rappa of H2Ocean
|
 Phil Colvin of Liberty Tattoo,
Atlanta. |
 King Kong Tattoo of Kobe,
Japan. |
 |
|
I would like to start by expressing my gratitude to Nate, CJ, and the rest of the Lost Art crew for making this convention
such a pleasure to attend. These guys are really on top of their game. On Thursday there was a pre-party
for everyone at a local restaurant complete with a giant spread of food and drinks to please the famished masses,
followed by a full weekend of tattooing and frolic.
A stellar cast of national and international artists including: William Thidemann, Rodney Raines, Keone Nunes, Lal
Hardy, Horizaru, Boog, Phil Colvin, Chad Soner, Todd "Noble" Holloway, Dave Fox, 08.15 Tattoo of Germany, King Kong
Tattoo from Kobe, Japan and many others descended on The Salt Palace Convention Center, along with vendors such as
Lucky 13, Wendy Belzel, The Heavy Metal Shop, Fine Art Cloning and others. The show proved to be a strong one for
two years running and could only exceed this standard for future shows.
The show stayed packed with people all weekend and there was a happy and steady buzz around the convention
floor. We stayed busy as hell the entire time, with brief moments so we could come up for air. With CJ on the mic for
info, contest announcements and music for our ears, from the Suicide Girls handing out trophies to the winners of the
tattoo contests, a private sterilization and artist area if we needed to "get away," and the occasional visit from some Lost
Art friends who volunteered for the weekend to keep all of us fed and generally happy, This was a great show. And let's
not forget about the discounted
lift tickets to Brighton we were
hooked up with for all the skiers
and boarders who stayed over to
take advantage of some of Utah's
legendary powder.
Thanks again to Nate, CJ,
John, Gailon, the Anthonys, Keet,
Charlie, Rob and the rest of the
guys from Lost Art Tattoo and
Flaco Productions for making it a
memorable experience two times
around and thanks to all the people
that attended the show and
left with some new artwork. This
convention and its presentation,
truly shows the dedication these
guys have to the art of tattooing.
You guys rock! I hope to see you
guys soon, if not, then see ya at
next year's show!
– Joey Vernon of Fu's Tattoos
|
 Eddie Kolos shows the other great aspect of SLC. |
|
H2Ocean's gettin' high
in SLC! The Salt Lake
City convention is
the perfect excuse for us to work and to get away for an amazing ski trip. Last year was
the first year they put on the convention and it just so happened that it snowed four feet
in four days. The snowboarding was epic. That's when I decided this was going to be an
annual event for H2Ocean.
This year we arrived in SLC on Wednesday afternoon and picked up one of our distributors,
Steve Kinder. He had never skied on the West Coast but was pumped about
trying it. The convention did not start until Friday so we spent Thursday on the slopes at
Snowbird. Twenty-eight inches of new snow and no lines at the lifts made for a leg burning
day.
The following days consisted of different mountains and numerous terrain parks. We
all shot off of several jumps and rails pushing our limits. Only a few miscalculations that
luckily resulted in no long term injuries.We alternated days of skiing and working the convention
so everyone had equal time for the mountains. Every night we attended the convention.
Chris Rappa, our distributor from Colorado, supplied and manned the H2Ocean
booth the rest of the time.
|
 |
 |
Eddie Kolos of H2Ocean in action on the race course and in the air. |
|
When we arrived at the convention we were happy to see old friends as well as the
entourage of belly dancers. The guys in SLC put on a really tight show and my hat goes
off to them. We ended up having a great week on the mountains as well as the convention.
We are definitely locking down plans to attend next year.
– Eddie Kolos of H2O Ocean
|
For more info about the convention visit www.slctattoo.com.
For more info about Fu's Tattoos visit www.fustattoos.com.
For more info about H2Ocean visit www.h2ocean.com.
back to top
|
|
|
