Talk of the Town - He gets under your skin February 19 2004

Tattooing Tuki’s art-gallery abode

Ah, the first tattoo, the ultimate form of rebellion. Unless, of course, you’re among the 80 percent of those who return to the parlor to get that ex’s name covered up. Stepping into West End Tattoo artist Tuki’s downtown loft, it feels as if you’re walking into an art gallery. Well, except for the huge stereo speakers blaring DJ Drama, the big-screen TV and the kitchen shelves stocked with liquor. One glance at the colorful, detailed paintings that hang from the bricks and sky-blue walls of this trendy abode, and it’s impressive how far the artist has come since the beginning of his tattooing days.

Creative Loafing: Ever messed up anybody’s tattoo?

Tuki: Yup, when I first started. I did a panther on this chick, but it looked like a skunk scratching her skin. I didn’t have the concept down of shading and was shading on the outside. I didn’t know what I was doing.

What did she say afterward?

She liked it! I saw her three years ago and told her she needed to get that fixed and she said, “No, I love it!”

Do you remember your first tattoo?

Yeah, in the dorms in ‘95, with a homemade tattoo machine.

A homemade tattoo machine?

Yeah, it was made out of a Walkman motor, some guitar string and a mechanical pencil tip.

Would you say tattoos are trends or fashion statements or what?

Trends. When Tupac was around, everybody was like, “Get a cross on your back!” Whatever the new rapper has in the area I’m working in, that’s what people will get.

Have you tattooed anybody famous you could tell us about?

I tattooed the microphone on Canibus’ arm. That was my first big one. (LL Cool J and Canibus supposedly once had beef over the tattoo because they have the same one.) But I’ve done a lot of Jagged Edge’s tattoos. I’m getting ready to start a sleeve on Killer Mike’s arm, but we’re still getting the drawings together.

Who or what influences your art?

I don’t know, just certain thoughts. I’m not even sure where they come from. Like when I start tattooing, I may have the initial line work or the sketch, and from there I don’t know what I’m going to do, and then it just comes.

OK, do you remember the first painting you sold?

The first painting I sold was ... I had done something and sold it at the Nomenclature, and I think it’s called the Whiskey Peach now. But the Nomenclature was just like a little house/bar. They used to throw these things called the Nookie Parties, these crazy parties where girls would run around in G-strings like on “Girls Gone Wild.”

How does working on canvas and tattooing compare?

Totally different. On canvas I don’t care, but on someone else, one mistake and there is no tattoo eraser. So once it’s messed up, it’s permanent.

cityhomes@creativeloafing.com

Tuki is having an art show at 7 p.m. on Feb. 23 at 155 Forsyth St.