Tattoo artists leave mark on community

Their artwork has a permanent effect on their patrons -- literally.

Like many artists, University students Gin Swift (senior-ceramics) and Tim Sellers (senior-art education) are making the body their canvas by designing original tattoos for the State College community.

As employees of Art of the Ages Inc., 103 S. Pugh St., the two students create many of the original tattoos that adorn the bodies of the store's customers.

"Tattoos are getting more and more widely accepted as people are expressing themselves without fear of repercussions," Sellers said.

Tattoos were not always tolerated as an acceptable form of art. In the past, they were associated with the poor and were not endorsed by high society.

"At the turn of the century, tattoos were a trend of the lower class and prisoners," Sellers said. "This didn't fit the upper-class image of aesthetics and so tattoos were never written about with much favoritism."

Though tattoos may still inspire criticism from people for a number of reasons, tattoos have come to be recognized as a unique art medium.

The process of designing tattoos for customers is an unusual one, Swift said. Unlike the ceramics work that Swift creates, tattoos do not serve a defined purpose, she said.

"It's different from the pottery I do because that is functional art: bowls, mugs and things," Swift said. "Tattoo designs are purely for decoration."

Creating a tattoo design is the collective work of the customer and the artist, Sellers said. To sketch the designs that will be made into tattoos, the artists must combine the ideas of their customers with their personal interpretations.

"People have an idea for their tattoo, and they can't draw it," Sellers said. "I listen to what they say, until I can render something that is exactly what they want."

Jennifer Spalla (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) came to the store with a mental image of the armband tattoo she wanted and was pleased with the interpretation Swift created for her.

"I had an idea of what I wanted and saw in a magazine a design somewhat similar," Spalla said.

If customers do not have a specific tattoo in mind, they may look through the books of designs the artists have created. These books feature work that reflects the personal interests and styles of the two artists.

"I could be doodling something and someone could walk in and say, 'Hey, I like that,' and I do it," Swift said.

In addition to the creativity the artists are allowed by the nature of tattoo art, the work that Sellers and Swift do offers them the opportunity to display their work in an unusual fashion. Their creations appear on the bodies of strangers and remain there for life. This makes for an odd-but-flattering experience when the artist sees his or her completed artwork, the artists said.

"It is the ultimate form of flattery because they (the customer) have your artwork on their body until they are dead," Swift said. "It's the permanency of it all that makes it weird to see."