Artist Spotlight: Ocean

"Every day I tattoo is a perfect tattoo day."

Ocean has been tattooing for 25 years. He didn't start out as an artist, he just jokingly told a friend to teach him, and that's how his apprenticeship started. When asked what he'd be doing otherwise, he doesn't sugarcoat it: "Truthfully, I'd be in prison or dead."

He works in black and grey abstract realism and surrealism. He'll always love combining women's faces, skulls, and flowers with an abstract element, and his favorite placement is large leg pieces, which he finds challenging but exciting to design and work.

What he loves about Old Crow is the clients and the atmosphere. His clients are committed to their large projects and give him a lot of trust, and the mellow environment helps everyone stay focused. Because the work is large scale, he treats it as a collaboration: the more input he gets, the better he can serve the client.

He's especially proud of a recent mermaid leg sleeve. His client wanted two mermaids for his two daughters, so Ocean had him ask the girls what sea life they'd want in it, and worked their ideas into the design.

After 25 years, not much catches him off guard. "After doing this for a quarter of a century, nothing surprises me."

If you're nervous to book: "I'm here to work with you. Large-scale tattoos require a lot of trust. Once we start communicating, I encourage you to always voice your ideas, opinions and concerns. My job isn't done until your tattoo is healed and you are happy with the outcome."

Waylon Jennings in the studio. His best meal after a long day isn't even a meal: time with his family. Why he does it: "It's my life."

Book with Ocean. Portfolio: oldcrowtattoo.com/ocean.

Email: oceanxtr@gmail.com.