He Looks Hostile — but He Drives a Minivan

Thanks to everyone who came out to Insite Magazine’s September Art979 launch party at the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History. It was good fun and fellowship, and I’m so very thankful to have been included in the project.

Art is my passion, at work and during leisure hours; and I count myself incredibly lucky to be able to tattoo for a living. And I’m really blown away to have been featured in this month’s Insite Magazine! The photo shoot was a blast. Igor Kraguljac, professional cinematographer and photographer, was wonderfully patient with me. His talents are installed around the nation, and he’s earned a number of awards for music videos and short feature films. You can see Igor’s work at https://www.facebook.com/IgorKraguljacPhotography or http://www.igorkraguljac.com.

Within the coming month, Arsenal Tattoo & Design will start its relocation to Downtown Bryan. We’re excited about being closer to the hub of Brazos Valley arts & culture — for our customers and artists alike, and we look forward to seeing you at the corner of 26^th & Sims.

THANK YOU

Many thanks to Bryan city leaders for tackling the issue of tattooing near to downtown — the undisputed hub for arts and culture in the Brazos Valley. The Arsenal Tattoo & Design has been serving connoisseurs of indelible art for 19 years, and we’re extremely grateful just to have had the opportunity to engage a public debate about the legitimacy of body art. Indeed, we are humbled by the time, effort, and energies expended by all who participated; and we vow to be a positive force in the neighborhood.

My wife, Stacy, and I are locals — born, bred, and educated in the Brazos Valley. We’ve been traveling to the twin cities as long as we can remember — back when downtown was thriving and also when it wasn’t. Stacy attended A&M, and I fled Sam Houston on the weekends to apprentice under Pat Beck, Aggie graduate and founder of Arsenal Tattoo. After getting married, Stacy and I opted to make Aggieland our permanent home, and soon thereafter I assumed ownership of the Arsenal. We’ve got an abiding respect for this area and our relocation to Bryan is designed to cater to our discriminating clients by offering a more spacious facility in an aesthetically rich environment and to better participate in local festivals through our finer arts.

We’re so very grateful for all the city staffers who’ve worked with us since last fall, for the councilmembers who had our issue on their plates for so many months, for the Planning and Zoning commissioners charged with investigating our request of a conditional use permit, and for all the residents who contributed their opinions. We sincerely appreciate this opportunity and look forward to brightening the corner of 26^th Street and Sims.

We invite everyone to our grand opening, set for First Friday in October.

Scotty D

Arsenal Tattoo & Design truly is a special place with exceptionalities at every turn, and our customers are for sure and certain why we’ve been in operation nearly two decades. They are fellow art aficionados who insist on quality tattooing of custom designs, and they’re willing to wait weeks and even months for the best ink available in the Brazos Valley (nay, one illustrious man once said “best in the world.”)

That’s why we’re so particular about the artists who work at The Arsenal. They’ve got to have monstrous talent and an even more monstrous work ethic; homework assignments (i.e., drawings) are relentless and working weekends is, obviously, non-negotiable. Just as important, our artists possess interpersonal skills to better communicate with our customers and put them at ease throughout the process. We are sincerely interested in the people we meet and take pride in keeping up with the goings-on in their lives.

Last week a fella dropped into the shop just before opening time. He’s from out of town and got his last tattoo somewhere near here years ago — so long ago that he can’t remember what shop, but the artist did great work and he thought he’d give the experience another go. About that time, our very own Scott Dowdy walked in and immediately identified the fella; couldn’t call him by name but remembered the tattoo and even recalled the man’s occupation and home base. It was a really cool moment to relish, and the customer himself remarked on Scott’s clarity of mind and dexterous recall of such details intangible to the tattoo itself. If you know Scott, then you’d likely not be surprised that he reddened a bit at all the adulations, dismissed any notions that he’d demonstrated something so wonderfully special, and insisted that it was all part of his workaday.

Whatever!

Without delineating all the paradoxes inherent to a globally connected world of fellow-but-lone Earth treaders, we shall agree that it’s a rare man (indeed!) who listens closely to the details of others’ lives and then retains such information for any length of time. But that’s part of what makes Scott and his colleagues exceptional; and it’s a necessary trait for artists at The Arsenal.

Scott recently out-classed us again, working a solid week with excruciating pain. Toward the end of a long day, he treated us all to supper then slyly slipped out in search of medical attention. By noon the next day, he’d been treated and was well on his way to recovering from something that we’ve since learned strikes 1 in 15 people (won’t tell, so don’t ask; already have recorded too much!) The point is, Scott’s a workhorse who loves tattooing and cares deeply about those he works with and for — namely, the customers.

We fully expect Scott will have a speedy recovery and are so very appreciative of folks who’ve graciously rescheduled their appointments. Scotty D surely will be back, better than ever.

LITTLE PEOPLE @ THE SHOP

We’ve had a couple of weeks of babies coming into the tattoo shop. To this anecdotalist, the trend seems blog-worthy, especially so since the Arsenal — artists and clientele, all — started working to educate the municipal intelligentsia about the banality of tattooing; that is, tattoos are NOT synonymous with deviant behaviors and are actually sported by folks from all walks of life.

We can figure that body art has been around since mankind learned to doodle. At minimum, discoveries of tattooed-mummies place the practice at least as far back as 3000 BCE. In places all around the world, it charted its own use and acceptance. In our blessed home of milk and honey, we credit the “seedier set” for eliciting tattooing’s popularity in the early part of the twentieth century, “America’s Century” it’s called. Those daring enough to dedicate their skins of canvas and let the world know about it were criminals and gangsters, circus performers, and (gasp!) gay sailors. The practice has grown, and tattooing has become a legitimate profession now governed by all society’s attendant rules and regulations. Tattoos have made it to the big time. Mainstream.

It follows, then, that a trip to the tattoo shop isn’t any more remarkable than going to the post office or salon — another errand of many, so why wouldn’t the kids come along? In recent memory, we’ve had one newborn drop in and about a half-dozen other little ones experiencing their first year of life; we’ve worked with a middle-schooler seeking guidance on a summer art project and reveled in the acquisition of a new phone for one of our favorite young teenagers. And there’s a darlin’ set of sisters who rarely get away without some (stencil) ink of their own.

These scenes have been playing out at the Arsenal since Cliff can remember. Toddlers who stole our hearts years ago are now going off to college and the workaday world. Nearly all of them stop by to say hello, more than a handful proclaiming they “practically grew up in the tattoo shop.” It’s a communal locale, to be sure, where repeat customers turn into family and one’s just as likely to get a hug around the neck as a handshake.

So here’s to the next generation! — those who continue to better our world. Each successive generation smarter and savvier than the last; each more creative, inclusive, and empathic. (Hmph! That’ll be something to remember when Aggieland is inundated with young drivers new to town!)