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Built For Love: The 2019 Richmond Tattoo, Art & Music Festival

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With internationally-acclaimed tattoo artists alongside your favorite artists from the River City, the Richmond Tattoo, Art, & Music Festival is bringing its artistic fire to town this month.

Richmond is a tattoo mecca — this has become an undeniable reality.  So why would it be that a city so renowned for its tattoo culture would find itself struggling to gather artists and fans under the same roof?

“Prior to us taking over the convention, I think they might have had 1,000 people coming through the door,” said Jesse Smith, who, along with Kenny Brown, took over running the Richmond Tattoo Art & Music Festival four years ago. “I think we doubled the numbers the first year. So it grew substantially, and every year since then we’ve gotten more and more people through the door.”

Smith, who runs Loose Screw Tattoo in Carytown, said that the duo’s passion for bringing members of the tattoo and arts communities together had an immediate impact on the festival. And now, in its 27th year, the festival will attract tens of thousands of fans over the course of the weekend of Sept. 13 – 15.  

Smith attributes the growth and success of the festival in recent years to a number of factors. First, they returned the gathering to the site of its roots – the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Midlothian. The Hilton hosted the first annual festival back in 1988.  

Second, Smith wants to make it known that the Richmond festival is not just a tattoo festival. It has been a priority in recent years to create an atmosphere in which attendees can bridge the gap between tattoo and art.

Tattoo by Jesse Smith, via Facebook

Smith created the Richmond Tattoo and Arts Academy to do just that. Held on Thursday, Sept. 12, the Academy provides a space where artists in all stages of their careers can learn from some of the world’s best artists. Four internationally-acclaimed tattoo artists and four independent artists from various disciplines will host seminars covering topics all across the creative process; from character design to the biology of tattooing. It will truly be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many attendees to gain knowledge from the best the art world has to offer.

Sterling Hundley is one of the artists participating in the Academy. Hundley, who coincidentally taught Smith while he was attending VCU, is an illustrator and a professor at the VCU School of the Arts. He said he looks forward to helping artists from all walks of life, specifically helping them manage the misconceived perceptions of why artists create their work.  

One thing that has never changed about the festival is its affinity for attracting some of the biggest names in the tattoo community. This year is no different. Some of the featured artists include:

Another factor that has always made the Richmond festival so special is the incredible variety of artists that visit from around the world. Pablo Fontagnier is one of those artists. Known as “Hombre SUK” in the art world, Fontagnier, who is based in Nuremberg, Germany, is a world-renowned graffiti artist and illustrator. He said he is looking forward to the festival in Richmond because he knows what an incredible opportunity it provides to interact with his fans and other artists.

“When I started doing graffiti in the mid-90s, I would have never thought that I would paint all over the world — going to meet all these great human beings and make friends all over the globe,” Fontagnier said. “It’s incredible to come to another country where people already know you.” 

Pablo Fontagnier, aka Hombre SUK

Fontagnier recognizes that many of the artists attending the festival share the same artistic spirit — “different lives, but parallel experiences,” as he put it. Those experiences are what Fontagnier says make the flight around the world worth it.

“Talking, celebrating and chilling with people you are feeling really connected with — that’s something that really makes it easy to feel welcome and at home even on the other side of the globe.”

It should be noted that, despite the grown-up connotations tattoos carry, the festival is family-friendly. Saturday and Sunday’s events before 8 p.m. are catered to people of all ages. Take for example the kids’ tattoo competitions in the “‘Lil Tat Shack,” where kids will get to “tattoo” a client with non-toxic markers. There will also be a bouncy castle and chalk drawing for the young and young-at-heart.

However, after 9 p.m., things get a bit more risque. Friday and Saturday night, there will be belly dancing and burlesque performances. And, back by popular demand, is the crowd favorite Air Sex Championships. Described as “a magical blend of coordination, showmanship, humor and interactive storytelling,” the Air Sex shows always attract large crowds who gather to see total strangers perform the most intimate of acts with absolutely no one.  

Air Sex, via rvatattooarts.com

At the end of the weekend, a number of select artists will participate in “Live Art for Charity” by creating one-of-a-kind art pieces that will be auctioned off following the convention. This year, 100% of the proceeds of the auction will go to the Giving Arts Foundation, which Smith founded earlier this year to benefit ocean and environmental conservation. This is the fourth year the auction has wrapped up the weekend. Smith emphasized the importance of artists giving back to society in any way they can.  

On top of everything art-related, the weekend will feature a number of other activities and attractions. There will be tons of live music, including a performance by Jon Markel of the band Carbon Leaf. More than 30 vendors will be in attendance selling artisanal goods, and many of Richmond’s most popular food trucks will be parked outside.

Smith knows firsthand just how much time and hard work it has taken to turn the Richmond festival into one of the world’s biggest. Lining the walls of the ballroom during the festival are posters and signs honoring some of the festival’s biggest contributors over the years who have since passed away. Smith said that looking up and seeing some of the formative names of the tattoo industry is a humbling reminder of the opportunity he and Brown took on four years ago.

The 27th Annual Richmond Tattoo, Art & Music Festival takes place from Friday, September 13 to Sunday, September 15 at the DoubleTree Midlothian, located at 1021 Koger Center Blvd. A full schedule and ticket information for the weekend can be found here.

Richmond Tattoo Fest: Not Just For Sailors and Bikers

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The Richmond Tattoo and Arts Festival of 2018 is the oldest tattoo expo in the United States, and the 26th annual edition is set to kick off this weekend. The convention will celebrate getting kicked off its parents’ health insurance in one of the most tatted-up cities in the country, and will feature a myriad of artists from across the state of Virginia and around the country.

Not only will local shops like Loose Screw Tattoo, Heroes & Ghosts, and Black Rabbit Tattoo be on hand, some big names are also expected to attend, including artist Christian Buckingham from Spike’s TV series Ink Master, along with Gia Rose from Ink Master Angels multiple artists from Tattoo Nightmares Miami, and Big Island Mike, straight from South Park and the tummy of Jackass cast members. Click this link to request an appointment from any of the artists before the festival.

Events begin Friday, September 28th at 3 PM and carry over the whole weekend, offering live music, seminars on artistry and design, fire dancing,  tattoo competitions, and of course, air sex championships. The festival will also feature several presentations  on the artistic process, spanning from advanced drawing techniques to a 3D-referencing workshop.

With attendance  expected to hit 4,000-5,000, the convention is sure to fill the DoubleTree this year with street art, live painting, and over 30 vendors including Kulture, Velocity Comics, 3d Central Printing, Eternal Ink, and Goatocado.

All told, the festival will showcase over 150 artists. RVA Mag spoke with a few of our favorites to get a closer look at their work and find out what to expect of this weekend’s festivities.

PHOTO: @bigislandmiketattoos on Instagram

Big Island Mike (Los Angeles)

Big Island Mike Castillo started tattooing in 2001 and has since built a reputation for tattooing many from the action sports community, including Travis Pastrana of Nitro Circus, Weeman from the Jackass crew, and legendary skateboarder Christian Hosoi. When he is not tattooing, Big Island Mike rides BMX; he has been a BMX judge for the X-Games for the past 24 years. He was even featured as a South Park character. His favorite style of tattooing is fineline pieces and pieces with black and gray coloring, but he is capable of all styles of tattoos. His tattoo work can be found on Instagram at @bigislandmike and @bigislandmiketattoos.

PHOTO: @jelenawolves on Instagram

Jelena Wolves (Black Rabbit Tattoo, RVA)

Jelena Wolves started tattooing out in Long Island, NY 10 years ago, and no, the inspiration for her nickname was not a fascination with wolves, but traditional sailor imagery and the impact of travel. “I loved the bold lines, bright colors and heavy black shading of traditional tattoos,” she said. “The idea of being able to travel and tattoo simultaneously is something that also appealed to me.” According to Wolves, this travel-based inspiration in her work also drew her towards Richmond, after years of bouncing between coasts and conventions across the country.

Currently at RVA’s own Black Rabbit Tattoo, Wolves enjoys making traditional tattoos, from Mickey Mouse to scorpions and skeletons. Nowadays, though, she says she experiments more, juxtaposing tough imagery with beautiful elements such as flowers. These experiments are an extension of the constant inspiration from her travels. “Traveling, everywhere from Iceland to Thailand and Japan, has been a constant source of inspiration to me,” she said, “as well as a reminder to always go be grateful to tattooing for giving me everything I have today.”

PHOTO: @lil_matt_tattoos on Instagram

Matt Grosso (True Tattoo, RVA)

Richmond based artist Matt Grosso’s art is influenced by R. Crumb’s Zap Comix and hot rod artists Ed “Big Daddy” Roth and Von Dutch, as well as his dad’s race car shop, where they build and paint race cars. “[The shop] gave me a huge outlet to be creative in,” he said. “Through this i got to meet my awesome friend Tracy, who eventually would get me into tattooing.” While Matt still designs for race cars, he has been an artist making a living in body art since 2010. He utilizes a hot rod aesthetic, big bold color work, neo-traditional, and new school niches: “bright and bold with a bit of a new school twist.”

PHOTO: @sabrinaelliotte on Instagram

Sabrina Elliotte (Loose Screw Tattoo, RVA)

Sabrina Elliotte is a Richmond based artist from Loose Screw Tattoo, where she works with her husband and fellow artist Gwooki. “We really compliment each other since we tattoo similar. He likes tattooing more dark masculine imagery and I like tattooing more soft and feminine,” Elliotte said. “Sometimes we end up tattooing couples, which is a lot of fun — it’s like a double date.”

Elliotte states her style of choice to be black and grey realism as well as fine line blackwork, or “anything feminine that flows well with the body, like filigree or flowers.” Elliotte and her husband also work on non-related art projects when not under the gun, and currently live in a haunted house. “It feels very natural since we are both so inspired by dark art, and are creative in different mediums.” she said. Creative across numerous forms of media, Elliotte is the kind of artist that, even when a piece may look perfect to most, finds it almost always deserves another shade of black.

PHOTO: @giarosetattoo on Instagram

Gia Rose (West Chester, PA)

Gia Rose is most well known from being an Ink Master (season 8) and an Ink Master Angel (season 1). She’s been tattooing for 15 years, and is a favorite at RVA’s annual tattoo festival for her unique shade of “Neo Traditional-ish” work. “[My style] is rooted in traditional tattooing with bold lines and flat colors, but also [incorporates] illustration in imagery and design,” she said.

PHOTO: @abbyhumeart on Instagram

Abby Hume (Seattle, WA)

Washington state resident Abby Hume began doing tattoo work in Rochester, New York around 2001, apprenticing under renowned artist Tom Sherman. But she made her reputation in Virginia Beach at Studio Evolve, using a distinctive style of watercolor-based tattoos. “I found my niche in watercolor tattoo about five years in, as people just started finding me for the work, raving on about the results,” she said. Hume keeps her work distinct from typical watercolor art; her palette of vibrant saturation and color scheme is all her own.

Indian Street Food Restaurant & Pop-Up Bar Come to Richmond

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The crew behind downtown Richmond’s Kabana Rooftop and Belle have joined forces with a well-known restaurateur and a major R&B singer to bring two concepts to life in the fall.

Neal Patel and Kunal Shah have leased two adjoining spaces on West Broad Street to open Nama, an Indian restaurant with Chef Mel Oza serving at the helm, along with a pop-up bar called Switch that will feature rotating themes every few months.

Nama will offer family-style shared plates ranging from $11-20 to give patrons the opportunity to experience more than just one entree per person.

“When we say shared plates, people generally think of really small portions, like tapas, which is not what we’re trying to do. There are many dishes from India that make kind of mini meals for an individual or are good to share with people,” said Oza. “Sharing is a big part of Indian culture, it’s actually considered rude to order something and not share it with others at the table in most dining situations.”

While curries and tandoori will make their appearance at Nama, Oza said the restaurant will instead focus on a variety of street foods and delicacies from different regions of India.

“Street food in India used to be very risqué in terms of hygiene. A lot of progress has been made in recent times as the lifestyles are getting busier and people need to eat out more,” Oza said. “What we are trying to do at Nama is similar to what people would generally enjoy eating out. The full-on meals that involve the works are reserved for certain occasions or settings. An average person would rather have chaats, pav bhajis, street side kababs or pulaos [rice dish]. These kinds of dishes serve the purpose of stimulating your taste buds and yet comfortably satiating you. Restaurants offering similar cuisine are becoming really popular in the UK and big cities in the western world.”

Patrons can expect to find dishes from western and northeast India including pav bhaji, a spiced vegetable mash, goat meat Mamna which are roasted meatballs, quail eggs, chaat, and a fermented lentils rice cake in additional to more common staples like Indian fritters, kebab dishes, curries, and hot and cold chaat.

Oza has been cooking since the late 90s in the UK and later in the US. He served as the chef for contemporary Indian restaurant, Copper, in Charlotte, North Carolina before coming to Richmond in 2009 to pursue other restaurant ventures, including Carytown’s Curry Craft, which sold two years ago after four years in business.

Patel and Shah have wanted to bring an Indian concept to Richmond for quite some time, aiming to offer something a little different than other Indian restaurants that are currently in the market.

“We want people to have the option of coming to an Indian restaurant and not getting filled up by a single curry dish,” Patel said. “If you want to come in and have some craft cocktails or great wine or beer and try a few different plates off the menu, our goal is to create a little bit of a fun and lighter atmosphere. With most concepts we want to introduce, it is all about creating a fun social dining experience.”

After meeting Oza, the group worked on the idea for two years before leasing the space at 15 W. Broad St.

“We had a lot of variations and ideas for what we wanted to do, and my sister actually drafted the initial conceptual menu.  Since partnering with Mel that initial vision has morphed into something much greater than we ever expected from a culinary perspective,” Patel said of Nama.

Rounding out the initial investors in Nama, is R&B artist, Jay Sean. The singer knew Shah threw his early promoter days and according to Patel, was enthusiastic about becoming involved in the early stages of development.

“Jay has a great relationship with Kunal. Early in Kunal’s professional career he owned a production company that managed Jay Sean in the US, and they have maintained their friendship for 10 plus years since then,” he said.

Their second concept, Switch, if the name didn’t give it away, will be a pop-up bar with a rotating theme every three, six, or nine months. Patel said the group wanted to bring the concept to Richmond after seeing it take off in bigger markets, citing DC’s wildly popular and seasonal Cherry Blossom pop-up bar as inspiration.

“Pop up bars have been growing in popularity, especially in Chicago, DC, LA, New York,” he said. “Kunal and I have experience in the DC market, and so, we had always been looking for a space to give Richmond what we consider to be its first true pop-up bar.”

The bar, located next to Nama at 13 W. Broad St., will serve cocktails and small bites which, along with the decor, will play off of each theme. As far as themes for the pop-ups, Patel mentioned Halloween or Christmas as potential options, but didn’t want to reveal any details just yet.

“Probably in the next month or two, we’ll start dripping teasers out,” he said. The restaurant and events group also plans to incorporate a second theme into the downstairs portion of Switch to host two separate concepts at the same time. To execute their vision for each theme, Patel and Shah have recruited Richmond interior design firm Lost Art Studios and commissioned local artists for the design and decor.

“Richmond is known for its artistry, and that strong local art scene we have, so we want to partner with a lot of local artists whether it’s for murals or design pieces that are featured in Switch, because when you think about these pop-ups, you’ve got to be able to shut it down and open it back up in a couple weeks with a brand new theme,” Patel said.

Jesse Smith of Loose Screw Tattoo was tapped for a mural for the first theme, which Patel is keeping under wraps for now, but be on the lookout in the coming weeks for hints on their social media.

The group hopes to have both Nama and Switch open by November.

The Raddest Sci-Fi Tattoos in Richmond

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In 2015, Richmond was the third most tattooed city in the country. Over the past few years, over a dozen shops have cropped up along Broad Street and judging from looking around VCU’s campus and basically any bar in Richmond, body art is something that will always be a part of the city’s culture.

With so many well done, beautiful tattoos around me and so many talented artists in a 20-mile range, I was curious what are some of their favorite tattoos. But, since that would probably be a hard one to narrow down, I decided to scale it back to a particular type: science fiction. From Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and “Altered Carbon,” box office hits like “Blade Runner 2049” and the reboot of the “Alien” franchise to HBO’s “Westworld,” the genre has seen a resurgence in the last few years, so one wonders if it has spread into Richmond’s ever-growing tattoo scene. RVA Mag asked five local artists about the best sci-fi tattoos they’ve ever done. And let’s just our findings were “out there.” 

Abel Killian, Lucky 13 Tattoo

“I did a UFO beaming into the brain of a man, and it said that ‘I want to be leaving’,” said Killian. “As a custom drawing, I was just feeling kind of spacey that day. I think there’s a lot of aspects of sci-fi that are neat, you can do a lot with.”

Matt Brotka, Revenant Studio

“This tattoo’s probably about seven or eight years old, now,” said Brotka. “It was a culmination of a lot of things. Stylistically, why I was first interested in the tattoo world in the nineties, and bringing it to today with such matter of a movie and something I could physically pull off as a tattoo.”

Erin Chance, Unkindness Art

“We started it four years ago and [my client and I] still haven’t finished it because we both have very busy schedules,” said Chance. “It’s a neck to knee back piece of this cyber woman hiding behind a brick wall while Cthulu destroys a city around it. We’re getting really close to being done with it, but it’s not quite done.”

Teresa Sharpe, Unkindness Art

“I think the one that really changed the game and got me doing more space-related tattoos was the space sleeve with pixels on the hand,” said Sharpe. “[My client] just wanted space-themed, so it allowed me to really take control and create something fun.”

Chris Jenkins, Loose Screw Tattoo

“My favorite sci-fi piece that I’ve done is Rick Sanchez [of Rick and Morty],” said Jenkins. “It’s just fun. I think that show sends a ‘grand scheme’ message. It’s funny, but it’s also heavy.”

This was just a small fraction of the undeniable art walking up and down the streets of the River City. As more tattoos start steering away from more traditional art and toward more pop culture based work, it is only time before Sailor Moon and Princess Leia become the new pin-up tattoos of yore.

RVA Tattoo & Arts Festival celebrates 25 years with 150 artists, muralists and more this weekend

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Tattoos and street art are undeniably Richmond to the point that we should erect a monument of a giant paintbrush on Monument Avenue. As of 2015, the city was the third most tattooed place in the country and has become apart of our culture just as street art is starting to. With the fascination and popularity of body ink, it only makes sense there be a place for artists, fans, and tatooed citizens alike to converge and celebrate the art of ink. 

This weekend will mark the 25th Anniversary of the Richmond Tattoo and Art Festival, bringing over 150 internationally known and local tattoo artists, 14 celebrity tattoo artists and muralists to the area for live tattooing, workshops, demos, along with competitions, performances, music and more.

The annual convention was started and previously led by Cj Starkey and Nate Drew, but for the last two years, Carytown’s Loose Screw Tattoo owner Jesse Smith and Kenny Brown of Jack Brown’s Tattoo Revival have served at the helm selecting artists to make this festival bigger and better than the last. 

“We’re still trying to get the base up, this year we’re more focused on trying to put together the best show we can,” said Smith, who has been adorning people’s bodies with art for 20 years.  “Me and my team have put 110 percent into this fucking convention, I want people to know this is passion for all of us.”

Artwork: Jesse Smith

Returning the festival to its original location of the Doubletree, formerly the Holiday Inn, is one of the changes being made under Smith and Brown. The spot has a rich history within the  local tattoo community and it predates the festival itself as it used to be an informal meeting area for a Tattoo club back in 1988 with local tattoo legends such as Grandpa Groovy, one of the men responsible for removing stigmas about tattoos by helping to bring about tattoo regulations to Richmond.

With an expected 4,000-5,000 attendees, up from 2,800 at last year, and over 30 vendors including Kulture, Velocity Comics, 3d Central Printing, Eternal Ink and Goatocado, it continues to be one of Richmond’s most popular for tattoo fans and fellow artists alike.

“My goal is to eventually turn this into one of the biggest art events on the east coast,” said Smith.

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Big names in the tattoo field expected to attend are artists from Spike’s TV series Ink Master such as Tatu Baby and Christian Buckingham, along with tattooers from Ink Master Angels, Tattoo Nightmares Miami, and VH1’s Black Ink Crew.

 “As far as the public is concerned, We have a lot of guys from the Ink Master show and we also got my friend Melody Mitchell,(a street artist) from the Black Ink crew. We have a bunch of TV celebrities that are going to be there,” said Smith.  

Richmond’s own Mitchell Canter from Heroes and Ghosts Tattoo as well as Loose Screw’s Jason Stephan will be attending. Fellow Richmond tattoo shops Black Rabbit Tatoo, Two Pillars Tatoo, and River City Tattoo will also be at the convention. Click this link to request an appointment from any of the artists before the festival. 

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Artist: Charles Berger of Two Pillars Tattoo

Most artists that were selected were hand-picked by the team. “Talent, we based it off of reputation, we base it off of personality…Sometimes you a have really awesome artist that are assholes and then you got artists who aren’t as good as them but, really cool and easy to work with,” said Smith on this year’s lineup. “I want to have good people at the show, good people, and good personalities getting all of those is a tough package.”

Body ink might be the main attraction, but street art is also a big part of the RVA Tattoo & Arts Festival. The show with feature 10 different street artist coming out and painting on 6×6 canvases and that will be sold to the public. Colorblind street artist, Toobz Muir and surrealist master Ekundayo (artists of one of my favorite murals in RVA) will be two of the 10 taggers. All of the proceeds will be given to Art 180, a local non-profit involved in inspiring youth through art.

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“Professional Purveyor of Good Times” and Richmond’s Best Burlesque Performer, Deanna Danger, will return this year to host the 2nd Annual Miss Pin Up Competition. First place will receive a cash prize, a crown, a sash and some goodies as well as the glory of the “Miss Pinup RVA” title. Boom Boom Basics Burlesque & Performing Arts Studio will also be wooing peering eyes with their burlesque and variety show.

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The RVA Beard League will also be out there recruiting new bearded members and will host a contest of their own. The attendee with the gnarliest beard and/or mustache will win a $200 certificate to Loose Screw Tattoo. No criteria is given for the competition, but I can only speculate it won’t be too different from the league’s own Mid-Atlantic Beard and Stache Championships. 

While you’re checking out all the dope ink and chatting with artists make sure you check out the freak side-side attraction that is the air-sex competition. Participants simulate sexual acts in an improv comedy style to their choice of music and it’s pretty much one of the greatest performances you will ever see. You can read more on the air sex championships in our coverafe here.

“I’m not gonna say it’s a must-see, but something I’m definitely interested in seeing is the air sex competition,” said Smith.

Fitting the vibe of the entire show, there will be the 4’8 Ozzy Osbourne impersonator, Little Ozzy. The dead will rise again as going on 40 years together horror punk band, The Undead will play. Left Cross, Mistaker and Cody Spicer will also grace the festival with their tunes and a fire performance will be delivered courtesy of Party Liberation Front.

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Tattoo competitions will be spread throughout the weekend, from awards based on best of size to the best of the weekend, best color, best black and gray, and a kids tattoo competition; allowing the little ones to get their taste at becoming a master inker.

The 25th RVA Tattoo & Arts Festival will take place this Fri. Sept., 29 through Oct. 1 at the DoubleTree by Hilton – Midlothian, located at
1021 Koger Center Boulevard. Tickets range from $20(Friday & Sunday) to $35(3-day pass), and you can grab yours here.

Photos courtesy of Richmond Tattoo & Arts Festival and Jesse Smith

Richmond Tattoo and Arts festival enters 24th year with over 100 artists in attendance this weekend

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Tattoos are no longer a piece of art that are occasionally seen on someone’s body around Richmond. Everyone from VCU students to musicians, teachers to soccer moms, seem to have collected at least one tattoo on their body.
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