When one thinks of art it’s easy to picture large gold-framed paintings or towering sculptures in gallery settings, but a canvas often overlooked is human flesh. Tattoos are a form of wearable art, a permanent commitment to the craft.
For a whole weekend in September, Texas’s best tattoo artists descended upon San Marcos to showcase their skills and sleeves. The Texas Tattoo Convention travels the state, bringing together local artists and tattoo lovers for a weekend of community. The San Marcos session happened at the San Marcos Conference Center at the Embassy Suites. As guests entered the convention hall a buzzing sound rose from every corner. Dozens of tattoo artists and shops had their own booth, showcasing their artwork on and off the human canvas. Not only did they display their work but they were actively making new creations. Almost every booth had guests laid out, pushing through minor pain to receive permanent art.
The San Marcos leg of the Texas Tattoo Convention brought together tattoo artists from all across Texas. Not only does the convention act as a way for guests to explore new artists, but the networking opportunities for tattooists were endless.
“We’re just all in our own little bubbles, until we come to these conventions, then we socialize and see what everyone else is doing,” Austin- based tattoo artist Laguna Alexander said. The convention for him is an opportunity to create bonds with other artists and shops across Texas. Alexander’s home base is at Smoking Mirror Tattoo in Austin where he works alongside around nine other artists. The shop often hosts guests artists, and conventions like these are the perfect opportunity to make those cross shop connections.
Not only do the artists benefit from the connections, but Central Texas tattoo lovers get the chance to connect to artists from across the state.
“[The convention] makes it a lot more approachable. Sometimes you really enjoy an artist that’s further away, and then you have the cost of the tattoo on top of travel costs so it’s nice to have the opportunity to fold those into one,” Alexander said.
The convention also gives guests the opportunity to connect one-on-one with artists to see if they connect to not only the artwork but to the artists themselves.
“People should feel free to have good conversations with their artists, and if they ever feel underappreciated, maybe that might not be the avenue to pursue,” Alexander said. “People should be heard and understand how to take care of their stuff, so it’s helpful to have people that you feel are understanding and are willing to take the time.”
The convention not only showcased body art but physical art as well, with many tattoo artists displaying their paintings and drawings as well, allowing guests to leave with artwork for their wall. Insect taxidermy artist Pinned Ptera had a booth showcasing preserved butterflies and bugs. Denton based artist Morgan Loftin found out about the convention through her friends in the tattoo world and used it as an opportunity to display and sell her work while also taking the weekend to bond and connect with her fellow artist friends.
“A lot of us travel with each other and they had mentioned this [convention] to me. Generally anything in Austin or San Marcos, we’ll make the time to come down.”
The Texas Tattoo Convention makes its next stop in Houston this coming April for the 50th anniversary of the first-ever world tattoo convention. For more information visit their website at https://www.texastattooconvention.com/.
