Private Collections
It’ s the holiday gift that everybody under 30 wants but nobody asks for — a tattoo. Can’t commit? Most of the nation’s best sell prints, too.
MICHELLE MYLES
© DUSTIN COHEN
MICHELLE MYLES
NEW YORK
Style: “An updated version of traditional American tattooing, but I try to put time into the drawings instead of just reproducing the American style.” Inspiration: “Modern American tattooing was developed right here in NYC, where the first electric tattoo machine was invented on the Bowery, so I’m very influenced by that history.”
Common requests: “Right now script is really popular — names, words, phrases. Also, stars are really mainstream; every one likes them.”
Memorable canvases: “Joan Jett and Boy George were both very nice to work on. Also, Whoopie Goldberg was amazing.”
Other media: Paintings for shows and special projects
Studio: Daredevil Tattoo, 174 Ludlow St; 212-533-8303; www.daredeviltattoo.com; Fun City Tattoo, 94 St. Marks Pl; 212-353-8282; www.funcitytattoo.com
Average rate/waiting list: $200 an hour/ usually two weeks www.funcitytattoo.com
MARIO BARTH
LAS VEGAS
Style: “I really don’t have a signature style, though I’m known for very colorful tattoos.”
Inspiration: Coming to America from Austria and seeing Sailor Bill’s Tattoo Time in Maitland, FL. “At that time, I didn’t know such a thing as a tattoo studio existed; we always worked out of basements or living rooms or wherever.” Since then, design influences have come from Americana, Japan and Samoa.
Memorable canvases: Numerous celebrities, including Sylvester Stallone, Lenny Kravitz, Gene Simmons and Usher
Other media: “I’ve had artwork published in books, had artwork in movies and on CD covers. But that’s not really my forte. My talent is tattooing. I love interacting with people.”
Studio: Starlight Tattoo at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd S; 702-255-7827; www.starlighttattoolasvegas.com
Average rate/waiting list: $400-500 an hour/16 to 20 months www.mariobarthtattoo.com
DUKE RILEY
NEW YORK
Style: 19th-century maritime folk art motifs. “It’s all line work, as opposed to most shops, which do shading and coloring.”
Inspiration: “I’m from Massachusetts and a lot of my family lives on Cape Cod, so I spent a lot of time by the water and was heavily exposed to the aesthetics of engravings and scrimshaw [carvings on the bones and tusks of marine mammals].”
Common requests: Ships, anchors, whales
Memorable canvases: Customers from Japan, Denmark and Brazil. “I get more indie rockers than Hollywood types, if I had to name a typical client. But I don’t watch much TV so I don’t know if someone is really someone.”
Other media: Large-scale, highly detailed drawings; ceramic, glass and composite tile work; he does major museum and gallery shows (www.magnanmetz.com)
Studio: East River Tattoo, 113 Franklin St, Brooklyn; 718-532-8282; www.eastrivertattoo.com
Average rate/waiting list: $350 an hour/six months www.dukeriley.info
ANNETTE LARUE
NEW ORLEANS
Style: “I specialize in traditional Americanstyle tattoos — a single tattoo that sits boldly by itself, usually with heavy shading, bright wall-to-wall color and sailor icons.”
Inspiration: “Tattoo artists like Don Ed Hardy, Sailor Jerry, Mike Malone and especially ‘Cap’ Coleman.”
Common requests: “People who are from or fall in love with New Orleans are really, really proud of it and want to literally hold it close to their heart and show that it’s a part of them. They get lots of fleur-de-lis, and Saintsand voodoo-related designs.”
Memorable canvases: “Christina Ricci was gorgeous, and a great tipper. We did Billy Bob Thornton, Lindsay Lohan… and once we did an entire cargo ship of Russian merchant marines.”
Other media: Sailorand pirate-inspired paintings, available from the shop.
Studio: Electric Ladyland, 610 Frenchmen St; 504-947-8286; www.electricladyland.net
Average rate/waiting list: $80-150 an hour/walkins preferred www.electricladyland.net
Reader Comments
- There are no comments posted yet. Be the first one!
