I am not an art connoisseur by any means. I can barely tell the difference between a piece by Salvador Dalí and one by Picasso, and the sole reason I can even do that is because I recently took a college course in fine art and the knowledge has yet to escape me. Still, I am more mesmerized by the fact that Van Gogh cut off his own ear and gave it to a street hussy than I am with the actual quality of any of his renowned work.
I mean, art is cool and all but it's not really up my alley, or at least not the hoity-toity stuff. If by some chance I develop interest in a specific artist or piece, it’s likely going to be something that is not considered classic or traditional by expert opinion. Instead I am more prone to favor alternative and urban art forms. Y’know, stuff that isn’t entirely old and boring.
I am especially fond of tattoo art, more specifically in the western traditional and old school styles. This includes work by such artists as Angelique Houtkamp, Sunny Buick, and Norman Collins. Each of them takes conventional tattoo designs and styles and spice them up with a bit of their own idiosyncratic artistic flair. The work is retro yet modern; standardized yet eclectic; gritty yet elegant.
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| Houtkamp |
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| Houtkamp |
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| Houtkamp |
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| Houtkamp |
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| Buick |
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| Buick |
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| Collins |
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| Collins |
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| Collins |
One day I would love to sport a quarter or half sleeve in this exact fashion (western traditional/old school). Unfortunately that will require a substantial amount of guts and money, two things which I do not have at the moment, so it is going to have to wait a bit. In the mean time I aspire to cover my house with this art, but hopefully in a way that does not make my home resemble a zany funhouse.
