THE 1ST ANNUAL SPACE COAST
TATTOO ARTS FESTIVAL
By Lisa Marie and Matty Jankowski

While the Space Coast of Florida is the favorite landing pad of shuttle buffs everywhere, the 1st Annual Space Coast Tattoo Arts Festival became Spring Break's place to be for emerging, world-class tattoo artistry. Set in Cocoa Beach, on the Atlantic coast of Florida, with Cape Canaveral just next door, this expo found a spot to sink its toes into some warm golden sand. Though the area is known for momentous space flights and exploration, not to mention a few fish stories and deep sea sightings, this would be the first tattoo convention in this part of the state. If it looks oddly familiar, perhaps you recognize it from those days in front of the TV watching I Dream of Jeannie. Also the home of the world renowned Ron Jon Surf Shop and East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame, Cocoa Beach ebbs and flows with surfer dudes, wahinis and a laid-back lifestyle.

Greeting us in the lobby of the Holiday Inn Oceanfront Resort was Tom DePriest, event organizer and co-producer. Beginning with his first tattoo at the age of 15, Tom's love of the art was an ever-present element through difficult times. At one point, Tom realized his life was barreling downhill with no brakes and he had to make a decision to become either a tattoo artist or a crash test dummy. We all know the rest. Having worked in Colorado, Atlanta and various conventions it was time to make the move to Cocoa Beach and immediately Tom felt it would be a prime location for a tattoo event. He shared the idea with Ed Madigan, owner of Artistic Body Works, Tony Olivas of Sacred Heart Tattoo in Atlanta and Billy Eason of Capital Tattoo and B.I.R.D. Productions in Richmond, Virginia. In a flash, they had assembled artists to fill 59 booths, with 500 tattooists and vendors on the waiting list.

Surrounded by lush tropical foliage and flowers, the resort offered the perfect setting for tattoo artists and collectors to relax: tennis courts, shuffleboard, two pools (one heated), a hot tub, boogie board rentals and surfing lessons, even a mini water park for the kids, complete with a pirate ship, all set on a beach just steps from our room. Upbeat music piped throughout the grounds served as a soundtrack for those laying by the pool or meandering to the double-decker tiki bar.

Thursday brought a treacherous storm not too far north, leaving the devastation of tornadoes and flooding. The brief downpour on Cocoa Beach was not enough to dampen the spirits of the pre-registered guests, vendors and artists. We all made our way to the Thursday night meet-and-greet luau, bringing our appetites to the hotel's upper lobby instead of the beach, as planned. Everyone got their fill of a classic pig roast. A relaxing meal and mingling faded with the cool night breeze as everyone ducked raindrops on the way back to the rooms.

Sunny Florida Friday was a mix of dedicated fans getting tattooed (as soon as the doors flew open) combined with Spring Break hangers-on, tourists, local looky loos, collectors and the nervous throng of brave souls getting their first tattoo. It was once or twice around the block to ogle and ooh, but you could not escape the sounds of sirens calling the colorful to the beach and pools. Under the shade of the outdoor tent, the Thunderhawk Big Cat Rescue demonstration piqued everyone's curiosity with a preview of the shows to follow over the weekend. Friday evening brought the first contest and award of the convention. In a casual atmosphere, contestants were assembled in the lounge outside the Dolphin Ballroom. Five judges surveyed the fresh ink and chose their favorite Tattoo of the Day, a hyper-realistic vintage Queen of Hearts pinup done by Joey Hamilton of Exo Graphix (Destin, Florida) on Lee McElmeel.

Next on the agenda was a Friday night party just a stone's throw down the road at 900 North, a cavernous space with ample room for making tricky, three-cushion shots at the pool tables. There was a long stretch of bar that wrapped around to the dance floor/mosh pit and a terraced array of comfy swivel chairs. A fine selection of punk rock and psycho surf sounds courtesy of DJ MC Longneck (Mark Longnecker of Endless Summer Tattoo) provided a seamless transition for the evening's entertainment, the rippin' raucous live sounds of Such is Life, JeWop, Rabbits with Glasses and a memorable final set by Endorphin. For the folks up close to the stage who seemed less than impressed with their fast, gruff sound, the lead singer jeered at the audience "Want some classic ROCK?" Then, as always, giving the people what they want, they didn't miss a beat and played a flawlessly crisp cover of Leslie West's "Mississippi Queen." Yee hahhhhhhh! They had a great sense of humor and equally great musicianship. The only problem, it seemed to end too soon.

Suddenly, it was Saturday. Bright and early at 10:00 a.m., Jerry Reiger's seminar on tattoo machine building was well attended. The two-part seminar offered invaluable information on machines and limited availability to part two, where you built and tuned a machine that was yours to keep. Jack Rudy found himself hard at work inking Roxan from Lucky 13 Clothing with one of his classic fine line, single needle, black-and-gray works of art around her wrist. Throngs of guests filled the ballrooms, lounges and lobby, as well as the meandering walkways leading to the tented area where Ray Thunderhawk and his staff provided us with a shockingly close-up opportunity to view lions, tigers, leopards and cougars from Thunderhawk Big Cat Rescue. This was not a show of stupid pet tricks, but an educational experience. The Big Cat Encounter presented an eight-day-old, bottle-fed cub alongside a 750-pound adult white tiger. All of their animals are treated with respect and dignity. Following each day's presentation, people were lined up for a photo opportunity with these great cats. A hard act to follow.

The day's promenade of tattooed competitors in eight categories was introduced by the soothing voice of Chris Longo. The parade seemed endless, giving the crowd a close-up look at some premium work. The stiff competition was trimmed down to two winners in each category. As Chris so aptly stated, "Everyone is a winner" and carries with them their individual tattoo as an award in itself, even more meaningful than the metal and plastic trophy. The winning tattoo artists for the day were Mike Sizemore of Ink Town in Chicago, Paul Wren of Th'inker Tattoo, Tattoo Marty of Refined Tattoos, Mark Longnecker of Endless Summer Tattoo in Cocoa Beach, David Keezer of Daytona Tattoo Company and Nick Wagner of Jacksonville's Inksmith & Rogers.

Two surfboards were the blank canvas for tattooists Mark Longnecker and Pasche of Endless Summer Tattoo and Jaspa of Tinta Cantina. This variation of art fusion while hanging ten had paint markers flowing for hours, covering both boards. The finished surfboards were prominently displayed for inspection in anticipation of Sunday's benefit auction with all proceeds going to the Thunderhawk Big Cat Rescue.

The upper lobby was again center stage for the judges scrutinizing the fresh ink for the second day of the festival. The votes were counted and it was a unanimous decision to award a young woman who spent a full day under the needle of Bob Tyrrell. Then we were off to a gathering of the tribes that took place under the starry night sky on the beach as a bonfire was fed and the ritual of emptying the keg was performed.

The horde of partygoers got their second wind and trickled in to the Commander Lounge on the other side of the resort, until the din of the crowd was deafening. Besides the kool sounds he had been spinning, MC Longneck had another trick up his sleeve. From the folks who brought us Mothra and Godzilla, we had kariokeeeee (Japanese for public humiliation set to music). But, oddly, the later it got, the better it sounded. As usual, it brought out that rock star in us all. Appropriately, Elton John's "Saturday Night's All Right" was screeched out sounding more like a hard-core punk Sex Pistols cover than a frat party anthem. The man of the hour, Tom DePriest, showed us how it was done and encouraged the wallflowers to get up and give it a shot. As each song ended, the cheers and jeers mixed with lots of laughter and made for a really fun night.

Sunday flew by at warp speed, starting with a seminar on advanced color realism by Deano Cook followed by Bob Tyrrell's class on portrait and black-and-gray techniques. The contests were nearly a clean sweep for Tattoo Marty from Refined Tattoos, with Jason Stefan of Electric Eye Tattoo in Cocoa taking home a few and Mike Sizemore adding to the stack he'd begun the day before. Jack Rudy played hooky (he was not alone), taking a quick tour of historic Cape Canaveral, but he made it back as things wound down.

The Thunderhawk Big Cat Rescue benefit raffle and auction saw winners filing up on stage to choose from artwork, jewelry and a great assortment of cool T- and sweatshirts. The two big winners walked away with the hand painted surfboards. They were all smiles after the final tension of going once, going twice and then the hammer came down and the boards were SOLD. The raffle earned over $600, the auction over $1,000, as Ray Thunderhawk thanked the crowd for supporting the preservation of the great cats.

So many of the artists had great merchandise that we had to get a few mementos for ourselves, everything from an original 3-D assemblage piece from Jon Vale of Ocho Placas Tattoo to labor intensive, handmade note cards from Amy Wren, henna artist at Th'inker Tattoo, and a small hand-printed patch from Pauly of Anchors End in Duluth, not to mention other great works of flat art. We also netted some cards at Lucky 13's booth with tattoo motifs by Jacqueline Thompson, who also uses them on dinner plates, cups and teapots as well. We wrapped up our weekend with Sunday's Best Tattoo of the Day awarded to Deano Cook for a shark that now swims on Marvin Freels' leg.

Monday morning brought our final sunrise on the Space Coast and a peaceful moment as the waves roared ashore. It was the perfect end to a pleasant and positive weekend of relaxation and good times that, just like any good trip to Florida, had so much to offer that we were planning our next trip before we had even left.