In conjunction with Ed Hardy: Deeper than Skin's glorious run at the de Young museum in San Francisco, this has been a summer of revisiting the tattoo and fine art community to reflect and relish not only Ed Hardy's career, but the culture worldwide. A few of those stories you can read here, as last week we spoke with muralist and painter, Amandalynn.
Today we visit Shawn Barber, whose tattoo career and tattooed portrait series has been influenced by the pioneering works of Ed Hardy, whose hands are portrayed in the first gallery image. Not only an accomplished painter, Shawn opened his own tattoo shop in Los Angeles, Memoir Tattoo, in 2009. We asked Shawn to talk about Hardy's work and how his legacy still shines bright today.
"Ed Hardy's influence on the world of tattooing is monumental. Ed brought his creative intellect and broad knowledge of the arts into the craft of tattooing. What I love the most about Ed's work is his desire to experiment and explore unfound territory. As a painter and tattooist myself, I'm always trying to break new ground with my work by reacting to and reflecting a broad range of influences through art history.
Experience Ed Hardy: Deeper than Skin at the de Young museum, July 13–October 6. Got ink? Your tattoo gets you discounted tickets, for a limited time only. Learn more at deyoungmuseum.org.
