If you really want a true classic tattoo you'll have to go back in time, cross the pacific to honolulu and head over to Hotel Street. There you'll see the bright neon glow of 'Sailor Jerry's', the tattoo shop that put ink into skin of the fighting men for nearly 40 years.
You'll notice that there aren't many tattoo artist out there like Norman Collins, or Sailor Jerry, around anymore. He was the father of old school tattooing. he was the best of the best. He was old school classic in every sense of the word. The tough old sea dog stood by his work and stood up for himself earning him the legacy that is still felt in tattooing today.
The time Jerry spent at sea became the over whelming influence on his life. The old sea-faring traditions of the sailor ways became subjects he celebrated in his work until death. The navy took Jerry across the pacific to places like china and japan. This journey sparked his lifelong interest in the Asian art and culture. Jerry was then deposited in Hawaii in the early 30's. The tropical feel of the islad felt like home for jerry. The constant flow of sailors through Hawaii's ports kept him connected to his beloved Navy while chinatown fed his fascination with over sea culture.
At first Sailor Jerry first started tattooing by hand poking needles into whoever was willing. As a teenager Jerry used whatever supplies he could find. In the 20's Jerry found himself in chicago where he met his first formal teacher, the infamous Gib 'Tatts' Thomas, who taught Jerry to use his first tattoo machine. This lesson in itself became part of Sailor Jerry's great mythology.
Thomas actually took Jerry to a graveyard where a fellow tattooer worked the night shift. Jerry practiced on the dead corpses! now a days we use pig skin to practice on. However, when Thomas and friend let Jerry stay in a dark room with the corpse to practice, he grabbed the arm and just then the body sat upright. Thomas played a very spooky prank on this young apprentice. ha!
You'll notice that there aren't many tattoo artist out there like Norman Collins, or Sailor Jerry, around anymore. He was the father of old school tattooing. he was the best of the best. He was old school classic in every sense of the word. The tough old sea dog stood by his work and stood up for himself earning him the legacy that is still felt in tattooing today.
The time Jerry spent at sea became the over whelming influence on his life. The old sea-faring traditions of the sailor ways became subjects he celebrated in his work until death. The navy took Jerry across the pacific to places like china and japan. This journey sparked his lifelong interest in the Asian art and culture. Jerry was then deposited in Hawaii in the early 30's. The tropical feel of the islad felt like home for jerry. The constant flow of sailors through Hawaii's ports kept him connected to his beloved Navy while chinatown fed his fascination with over sea culture.
At first Sailor Jerry first started tattooing by hand poking needles into whoever was willing. As a teenager Jerry used whatever supplies he could find. In the 20's Jerry found himself in chicago where he met his first formal teacher, the infamous Gib 'Tatts' Thomas, who taught Jerry to use his first tattoo machine. This lesson in itself became part of Sailor Jerry's great mythology.
Thomas actually took Jerry to a graveyard where a fellow tattooer worked the night shift. Jerry practiced on the dead corpses! now a days we use pig skin to practice on. However, when Thomas and friend let Jerry stay in a dark room with the corpse to practice, he grabbed the arm and just then the body sat upright. Thomas played a very spooky prank on this young apprentice. ha!
There is just so much i could say about this man. He is a very respected figure in the world of tattoos. But boastful stories and folklore aside, it was Jerry's visionary innovations and unrivaled craftsmanship that led future tattoo artists and devoted protégés to marvel at his work. His classic, yet groundbreaking, skin art portrays a legacy that's as true today as it was generations ago on those wild, devil-may-care streets of Chinatown. As Jerry's business cards famously said "My Work Speaks For Itself," and no truer words have been spoken.
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