‘Topcoat & Tails’
Drawings, paintings and mixed media images from Liquid Courage, Sailor’s Grave and Iron Brush Tattoo artists
By Augusta Olsen
Lines can be used as a divisive tool or as a means to explore a creative, inclusive end. The gallery owners at the New BLK Gallery in the Old Market have taken the latter approach, seeing the beauty and value of the line, whether it is painted on a canvas or tattooed beneath the surface of the skin. The gallery’s new show, “Topcoat & Tails” showcases the artistry of 10 local tattoo artists, proving their work is just as impressive and noteworthy on canvas and paper as it is in the flesh.
The New BLK’s show is a connective affair linking local community to a genre of international interest. “Topcoat & Tails” is one of a few shows across the country exploring this theme in 2011. In February, the Articulated Gallery in San Francisco put up a buzzworthy show entitled, “From the Needle to the Brush,” and DC Shoes just closed its New York show, “Burning Ink,” which will now move to Berlin for a June opening.
That said, “Topcoat & Tails” is an art experience unique to Omaha, featuring the drawings, paintings and mixed media images of artists from Liquid Courage, Sailor’s Grave and Iron Brush Tattoo. The styles and media vary, but as a group, the work solidly expresses the real and palpable energy of art at work. Part of the magic of tattoo artists is that they bring their artwork into everyday life, and the development of their style is a daily undertaking. As a result, the majority of the works in “Topcoat & Tails” are as accessible as they are interesting. This is perhaps why 19 of the 70 pieces in the show sold at the opening reception last Friday.
New BLK director Shane Bainbridge agrees. “Tattoo artists, much like us as commercial artists, spend a great deal of their day to day utilizing their creativity to recognize the ideas/wishes of their clients. What we found special with the Liquid Courage crew was their commitment to their own personal creative expression in their free time. I guess in short, we can relate to them professionally as artists and have a great deal of respect for them personally as artists,” he said.
Dave Koenig of Liquid Courage stands out as a leader in this show. His work emits an appealing balance of technique and imagination. Koenig demonstrates an ability to work in several traditional tattoo styles, but most of the pieces in this show stretch beyond stylized drawings into more creative expression.
Koenig’s drawings, “Penetro” and “Grace” stand out for their new brand of crossover appeal. “Penetro” depicts a Native American woman adorned with Sailor Jerry tattoos, smoking a cigar. Her “PURE” knuckle tattoo is just plain tough, but it is Koenig’s delicate treatment of coloring and his Art Nouveau inspired borders that evoke the beauty of Alphonse Mucha. Mucha mastered the crossover appeal of art at the turn of the last century, pioneering the marriage of fine art and commercial art. Koenig takes it one step further with his skin art today.
Koenig’s painted pieces also represent well, including “De la Roni,” an elaborate acrylic and ink drawing in an Asian tattoo style, and “Tiger,” an acrylic painting on canvas.
Tyson Schaffert’s “Hannya” is a powerful, painterly expression. The ink painting is also in an Asian style, but more along the lines of traditional Chinese brushwork. It is fitting, then, that Schaffert’s studio and shop in Lincoln is named Iron Brush Tattoo. The hannya is an image of a Japanese demon, generally carved into a mask for Noh theater. Schaffert’s depiction is so vital and energetic, his “Hannya” appears to vibrate with its own crazed ecstasy on the gallery wall. Also, Schaffert’s fantastical beasts in “Hakutaku” and “Baku Dragon” vibrantly showcase his imaginative leanings with precision and depth.
Another beautiful example of painting with drawing is shown by Jason Brown of Liquid Courage in “Owl Be Seein’ Ya.” The ink and acrylic drawing expresses a soulful mastery of the medium in its depiction of a barn owl. Its departure from traditional tattoo styles and themes shows an artistic reach that is successfully complete.
If the opening reception last Friday was any indication, “Topcoat & Tails” may be setting a local precedent and a new standard for the union of fine art and popular culture. If you missed the opening reception, the New BLK has planned two more open houses this month. This Thursday, May 12, the New BLK will host an open house from 4-8 p.m., with complimentary Little Red Barn beef burgers and Lucky Bucket brew, as part of the festivities surrounding both this show and the Big Omaha conference.
The gallery also plans a closing party for “Topcoat & Tails” on Saturday, May 28, from 7-10 p.m. The Filter Kings, they themselves canvasses of ink expression, will play.