About Me

    The one question I get asked more often than any other about this collection, by artists and observers alike, is “What made you want to do this?”  Well, there is no short or simple answer to that.  If there was a moment in time where I thought, “I’m going to tattoo Canada on myself, and here is the reason for it”.  I don’t remember when it was.  The motivation and inspiration behind this is much like our great country itself - diverse and ever changing. 

    Basically, I’m just a regular guy that was born and raised on the Canadian prairie.  Not only have I never lived anywhere else, it wasn’t until my early twenties that I even boarded a plane.  Now that I have had the good fortune to see more of this great land, I have developed a greater sense of patriotism and pride as a Canadian.  The more I learn about this country past and present, the more I appreciate and admire it.  With each new citizen I meet, I learn a bit more about myself.  At some point along the way, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to pay homage in my own way.  I have always been interested in maps and flags, even to the point of considering them art forms in themselves, so the thought of using them as a base for a tattoo was a natural progression for me.  At inception, the idea was to begin the tattoo with an outline map of Canada on my back, and as I visited each province I would find an artist to fill in the outline of that province with their rendition of the provincial flag.  As early as the second session on the outline map, I realized that my plans and expectations would need to remain fluid and flexible.

    Positioning, coloring, geometry, and adjacent artwork have all proven challenges in achieving a singular, cohesive piece.  My ideas about this tattoo change along with my ideas about Canada.  While the overall result may seem a bit of a patchwork when viewed as individual pieces, the same can be said for the country itself.  It is a unique blend of perspectives and stories.  An interesting array of memories and timelines.  All individual, all a part of One.

    Please enjoy the site and the stories.  My hope is that you might just find a little bit of yourself along the way.  Pages are arranged in the order that the tattoos were done.  I am still in photography kindergarten, so not all of the pics are perfect.  Slideshows are a bit slow to load, give them 60-90 seconds or so, they’ll work.  It will improve when I settle the site into a permanent home. Til then, grab a six of your favorites , make sure they’re cold, and put some back bacon on the Coleman.

    If you would like to leave a comment or question, or if you are or know of a tattoo artist interested in this piece, please stop in at the Graffiti Wall and leave your mark.  If you are thinking about getting tattooed, and are interested in my advice, read this.