I’m disappointed I couldn’t make it to Hell City in Phoenix this weekend, but thankfully they’re posting plenty of pictures to their Twitter account all weekend long.
If you’re in the Phoenix area, I would highly suggest going and checking out the convention. The Biltmore is absolutely ridiculous, and it makes for a very unique tattoo convention experience.
Tattoo by Big Gus at Art Junkies Tattoo in Hesperia, CA
It’s hard not to know who Durb Morrison is. Between his tattooing, running Hell City, True Tubes, Pint Sized Paintings and all of the other side projects he has going on – you’ve seen his name somewhere. But what do any of actually know about him?
We recently sat down and talked to Durb about his time in the tattoo industry, opening his first tattoo shop with $500, and creating the Hell City Tattoo Festival.
Josh Payne is the latest tattoo artist that will be hitting the road this summer. Here’s what Josh has lined up for the summer:
July 4-5: British Ink in Washington DC
July 6-12: Upstate New York
July 14-18: Pemona, California
July 19-22: Paradox Tattoo in Boston, Massachusetts
July 23-24: New York City
July 25-28: Tattoorolo in Corning, New York
August 1-3: Tymless Tattoo in Baldwinsvill, New York
August 6-7: Niagra Tattoo Expo
August 8-9: Memento Tattoo & Gallery in Columbus, Ohio
August 12-18: Big Brain Tattoo in Omaha, Nebraska
August 26-28: Hell City Tattoo Festival Phoenix
For those interested in getting tattooed by Josh, you can get in touch with him via Facebook.
Tattoo by Josh Payne at Artfuel Inc in Wilmington, NC
Hell City gathered up a bunch of attractive females to show off all of the clothing they have for sale.
I didn’t think you’d complain…
It looks like Myke Chambers has the rest of his summer planned out, and it appears he’s spending a majority of the time on the road. From July to the end of October, Myke is going to be in a variety of cities for guest spots and tattoo conventions.
If you’re interested in getting tattooed by Myke, check the details of where and when after the jump.
The Pint Size Painting canvas was the talk of the tattoo convention in Detroit on Sunday. As the 2″x3″ canvases were being handed out, some artists gazed at the tiny canvas in amazement, as others didn’t hesitate to get their masterpiece started.
The following week I was fortunate enough to see the paintings in person, and I was blown away. Just when I thought I found my favorite one, it was quickly replaced by another moments later. The amount of detail and time put into these paintings was indescribable.
As we sat around talking about the different paintings, I was able to ask Durb and Tony some questions about the project and their future plans. Read below for the exclusive interview.
Tattoo Snob: What exactly is a ‘pint sized painting’?
Pint Sized Paintings: A Pint Size Painting is a unique miniature masterpiece, art done on a very small scale. All the paintings are on a 2”x3” canvas board, and each one has a huge visual impact.
TS: How many of the paintings were handed out?
PSP: So far we have shipped out almost 1000 canvasses, and received more than 400 back.
TS: With that many handed out, I’m sure you won’t be able to recite everyone that participated. Is there an official list online?
PSP: Yes, you can go to our website, PintSizePaintings.com, and see the list of artists who have submitted art work.
TS: Will we be able to see them live in person?
PSP: We will debut the entire Pint Size Collection at the Hell City Tattoo Festival, May 21-23 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Killumbus. Following that, the show will go to Sacred Gallery NYC in July. From there we will display it at Hell City Phoenix at the Biltmore, August 27-29. Then it will travel to Coil Tattoo Gallery in L.A.
TS: All of the paintings are going to be featured in a book, right?
PSP: Not all paintings received are printed in this first book from Pint Size Publishing. The book is a 224-page hardcover collection of these miniature masterpieces, with 208 of the paintings displayed in full color and printed to actual size.
TS: Will the book’s pages be 2″x3″ as well?
PSP: The book is 6”x9” landscape, and there are two paintings per page to give the focus to the amazing artwork. The book is printed in an art gallery format with bright, white pages and a very clean and simple view so as to not take away from the small paintings.
TS: Where can people pick the book up at?
PSP: You can of course pre-order the book from Pint Size Publishing on our website, Hellcity.com, and they will be available with a limited edition ruler/magnifying glass at Hell City Killumbus, available with the first 200 books purchased.
TS: I hear you’re already working on volume two? Is this true?
PSP: It is true, with the amount of Pint Size Packages we have already sent out, each submission received now is for Volume 2. Submissions pour in on a daily basis. There are hundreds of artists who have not yet sent in their Pint Size Paintings, and more want to be involved every day. Numerous artists have heard of this project heard through the grapevine, plus with the excitement for the release of Volume 1, Pint Size Paintings will most likely have quite a number of editions.
TS: If an artist is interested in being a part of volume two, who can they contact?
PSP: They can simply send us their mailing address to info@hellcity.com and let us know they want to be a part of Pint Size Paintings. We will ship them out a Pint Size Package containing two of our boards (required to use) and a release form, along with some promotional material. We encourage artists from all genres to participate, not just tattoo artists. Spread the word!
There’s a rumor floating around that Durb Morrison has created a Hell City iPhone application to accompany the annual tattoo fest in Columbus, OH and Phoenix, AZ. I’m sure this isn’t a surprise to anyone, as Durb tends to be an innovator in his work, especially when it comes to the Hell City events.
Hopefully we’ll know more soon.
Durb Morrison is one of the busiest guys I know. He’s always working on something, traveling, or wrapping a project up. Check out the video from the Paradise Tattoo Gathering, where Durb discusses tattoos, Hell City Tattoo Festival, and his work with the Mighty Mighty Bosstones.
Preview picture by Alissa Brunelli