Guy Aitchison and Michele Wortman join Alex and Allyson Grey in live webcast.

Tattooing is an incredibly flexible art form which can be adapted to the needs of collectors from all different walks of life. It’s a medium that encourages creative exploration in a way that almost no other art form can. Because of the dynamic nature of the artist-client relationship, custom tattoo work is a sort of collaborative effort, with the creative energies of both individuals combining into something with a life of its own.

Meanwhile, in the alternative art scene, is the genre known as Visionary Art. It can be a difficult category to really describe, although it generally refers to art that is from the imagination and is done with the intention of conveying some kind of transcendental aspect of the human experience. One of the forefathers of this movement is New York artist Alex Grey, whose books Sacred Mirrors and Transfigurations have inspired a generation of artists to look within in entirely new ways. Many tattoo artists are Alex Grey fans, and his art has been emblazoned on the skins of countless tattoo collectors.

On July 21, these two worlds will meet in an entirely new way. First, tattooists Guy Aitchison and Michele Wortman will be holding a workshop at Alex Grey‘s Chapel of Sacred Mirrors in upstate New York. Although the class will be available only to those who can make it in person, the rest of the day’s events will be shard via a live webcast, available to anyone with a decent internet connection. Just tune in to www.tattoonowtv.com the evening of July 21, and it should pop up right on your screen. The webcast is free to the public, thanks to the  generous sponsorship offered by the Worldwide Tattoo Conference, True Tubes, Eternal Tattoo Inks, Memento Publishing/Stencil Stuff, AMPED3D, and Fallen King Irons. We only accepted sponsorship from companies whose products and services we actually use.

We’ll be starting the webcast with a screening of our documentary film Innerstate, featuring 40 tattoo artists creating amazing visionary masterworks on canvas. Nominated for Best Documentary at the 2010 Great Lakes International Film Festival, Innerstate was produced within the tattoo community and shares an intimate vision of creativity coming to life.

Then, sometime around 8:00pm we’ll be starting the panel discussion, where we’ll be taking questions from the audience on all subjects related to visionary or ritual tattooing, with a panel hosted by Alex and Allyson Grey, featuring Michele and I, Oregon tattooist James Kern, and Boston tattooist Natan Alexander. This should be quite different from the panel talks you’ve heard at tattoo conventions, and will provide novel perspectives on tattooing as an art form.

Finally, around 9:30 or so Michele, myself, Alex and Allyson will be starting a live painting performance that will run into the wee hours. We’ve done some performances like this with the Greys in the past and it’s always been a truly inspiring experience, with eye popping visions emerging from the canvas as DJs keep the energy going all night.

It should be an incredible day’s events, whether you can make it in person or just tune in to the webcast. For more information about ordering tickets, come to our online store; to tune in to the webcast, just drop bywww.tattoonowtv.com on the big night. We’ll be emailing out a reminder that afternoon.

You can see a short promotional video of the day’s events here.

Thanks, and we hope to see you there!

Guy Aitchison
Michele Wortman
www.tattooeducation.com
www.hyperspacestudios.com
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