Nestler's NEWEST !!

Dave Nestler’s Bad Girl Club... drawn to menace
( SQP Publishing January 2013 )

For over a decade, Dave Nestler has made his presence known as one of the most recognized names in contemporary pinup art. His colorful photorealistic renditions of gorgeous gals have graced the pages of books and magazines worldwide. What has become a mainstay in the pinup art market is now prevalent in the tattoo community as well. Dave’s past collection of pinup art and sketchbooks have become a staple in every tattoo studios reference library. And the result are the thousands of tattoos generated from Dave’s images around the world.

For his 5th and newest book, SQP Publishing has put together a collection of Dave’s most recent Full Color paintings and Black and White sketches. Included in this collection are the original paintings that graced the covers of magazines around the world--as well as sketches pulled from his popular “How to Draw with Dave Nestler” column.

A “Must Have” for tattoo shops and pinup enthusiasts everywhere, you can find ordering info at: www.davenestler.com

Fiat Lux, Good Times with Russ Abbott!



About 90 min total.

My Neck, 6 weeks later. Thanks Russ Abbott!

Reese, Remembered.

See you at the next one....

 

It is with a heavy heart we say goodbye to tattooer Alex "Reese" Grail Pursell. Reese passed away in October 24th due to a bacterial infection that spread to his heart.

Reese Pursell owned Timeless Tattoos in Kansas City, and spent something like 200 days a year traveling and tattooing. He traveled D.J.'d, and tattooed many years of his life. He owned and/or operated shops from New Orleans , NYC, to San Francisco, finally resting in the legendary tattoo town of Kansas City, MO. He loved to talk about history and food and was always quick to  give the heads up if I was in need of advice on either subject.  He was especially knowledgeable about the pretty tattooed girls in any given town.

He was an intelligent man, and had a heart that held fast to traditional values. He preferred hand painted signs and classic designs to the internet specials and computer generated "deals" that he felt had infested the tattoo industry. He wouldn't sell out the tattoo community, or himself. He preferred doing solid work and word of mouth clientele to internet promotion and detested the cheapening of the craft of tattooing to the "lowest common denominator". In a letter with his long time friend Mollie he said "I am very serious when it comes to the craft, history and securing the legacy of tattooing. I FIRMLY BELIEVE IN HONESTY and HARD WORK."

He was first on board to give generously to any in the tattoo family that needed help, and even very recently paid to bury his friend. He personally donated items to an art show I had for my own local humane society, and actually cared that it was for "the critters" (as he called them). Reese was not afraid of any tattoo made it his mission to treat every tattoo and customer with equal importance. Reese's name and life was full of adventure, music, and friends.

"We (as tattooers) are only as good as our last tattoo," he told me in a 2008 interview."As far as rock stars and TV celebrities, we as artists are only as famous as the mortal canvas lasts. Eventually our art dies, and our name is all that remains."

         "Reese would always put other people in front of him, it was an honor knowing him." said longtime   friend and fellow traveler Myke Chambers.

"It's comforting to hear how much he was loved in the tattoo community. We'd like to thank everyone for the great stories and fond memories." Said his sister J.J. Pursell.

When I talked to him about the preservation of tattoo history, and his place in it, Reese said "I don't want to fill the pages of tattoo history, but I would like a mention."

Reese is survived by a whole world of tattoo family who will sorely miss him, his shop family at Timeless, mother Jo Reese-Pursell and two sisters Amanda Pursell-Genk and J.J.Pursell. His family held a memorial service for him with tattoo family in Kansas City and they plan on spreading his ashes in some of his favorite ports including NYC, Portland Oregon, and Hawaii.

Well Reese, here's your mention. You are loved and will live on in our hearts, as timeless as they come... See you at the next one

deVita Unauthorized, by Nick Bubash

deVita Unauthorized ,

a book by Nick Bubash

deVita Unauthorized chronicles and benefits a man who was at the root of a massive art and tattoo movement that began on NYC stoops in the 60's.  Lovingly authored by student and long time friend Pittsburgh artist Nick Bubash, deVita Unauthorized is a replication of an original Loose-leaf portfolio made by Nick Bubash between the fall of 2001 and spring of 2003. The original 30 copies were painstakingly assembled by Bubash and  was housed in a wooden box measuring 17' x 22' x 11/2'. It cover was held on by 2 wing nuts and a clivis pin and it was painted and collaged inside and out by deVita and embellished with various wooden and metal objects.

Ed Hardy and Hardy Marks publishing have reproduced the book  and the collection available to the public.  It includes the original pages of deVita collages, lithographs, essays, and contributions from Ed Hardy, Mike Malone, Scott Harrison, Teddy Varndel, JohnWyatt, Nick Bubash and of course, Thom deVita --heavy-hitting artists who were touched by the "art bomb" and magic that shaped and evolved tattooing as an art... waves that are still felt today as tattooing rapidly advances..

It can be ordered from Hardy Marks Publications here http://www.hardymarks.com/books/devita-unauthorized/), Last Gasp Publications and Distributing Art Publishers the price is $30.

 

Very few lucky folks can order the book signed with original art by contacting deVita himself at 23 overlook Place, City of Newbergh, NY 12550, or on ebay under "belle 10-1" at http://www.ebay.com/itm/deVita-Unathorized-Special-edition-12-20-signed-w-original-art-by-Thom-deVita-/120975891080?pt=Antiquarian_Collectible&hash=item1c2ab99a88&nma=true&si=qVJajIRhtYG%2F3lq4NW26gYncVo0%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

for $300.

Chicken Soup for a punk rock lil boy

I came home to find my boy with a bonafide fever of 102 (for the first time in 10 years!). I'm making Jewish penicillin (chicken soup) and loving life right now; the house smells fantastic and I'm remembering when my own mother would cook it for me...
a standard chicken soup: saute 2 onions, 4 carrots, 3 celery with salt & pepper. Then I put that stuff in a big pot with some broth (I use veggie bullion so I can divide in half for my vegetarian food), bay leaves, parsley, and thyme. Then I brown up an organic free range whole chicken with gloves on (ew!) and sea salt and crush black pepper on that. (I boil up the hearts and liver stuff for my puppies on the side). I divide out the veggie broth mix and add the chicken to the main pot and low simmer for about an hour or so and then pull the chicken to cool while I make Matzo balls. I make the matzo balls the way my mom did, from a box (ha!): the directions say to beat two eggs and 1/4 cup of oil together, add the mix and let stand 15 min, I wet my hands and then make lil walnut sized balls. I then pull the meat off the bones (Gloves!) and feed my puppies the skin&extra and add it to the meat batch. I bring it to a boil and add the matzo balls, roll them around a lil in the broth and then put a lid on to cook those balls for 30 min (They look like brains, hahah) at a nice steamy boil. the kids like noodles, so I added some egg noodles and cooked those.

I put it in a bowl and delivered it to my boy with plenty of water and Sons of Anarchy marathon on netflix (with Kevin smith intermissions).... the boy's fever broke by 4 pm, he took a shower and a walk, and this morning he went back to school, ready to conquer the world. It was a good time. And, we didn't have to stoop to low levels and see the quack doctor for quack antibiotics.

Chillin' at the Roast of Gill Montie



Gill "The Drill" Montie



The old timers, playing nice (ish)

Gill "The Drill" Montie Gets Roasted in Cleveland

by Mary D'Aloisio



Tough guys and tuff tattoos

Gill Montie had reason to sweat under his fedora  at the roast thrown after  the Cleveland Rocks Tattoo Convention Memorial Day weekend. Gill Montie's history in tattooing stretches back through the decades of tough tattooing and fast living and has earned both the title of someone you don't want to cross as much as  man to be respected and revered.    Lining up to smack him down were some of the heaviest hitters in tattooing--a laundry list of tough guy charm and old timer cynicism who love Gill Montie enough to poke some fun at his expense. Roastmaster Lyle Tuttle rocked his legendary gold roasting vest and sharpened his tongue on a glass of grapefruit juice and tequila with a room full of people sweating their brains out to have a good time with the kings of good time.

Last meal before the roast

 On stage, the lineup of folks assembled resembled a tattoo family portrait of the last supper.  Lyle Tuttle led roasters and friends Crazy Philadelphia Eddie, Eric Foemmel, Marshall Bennett, Edward Lee,  Tyler Fyre, Bob Tyrrell, and host John Artist through one of the hands down hottest roasts in tattoo  history. The introductions were made and drinks were delivered, and Lyle Tuttle sat the man of the evening on his right hand side. 

"He was just bragging to me in the bar, he just earned his white wings. Use your imagination folks." chidded Tuttle, and announced the Detroit Stadium would be holding a gathering of Gill Montie's ex-wives next year.



Eric kept a good eye on Eddie; no one was shot.

Crazy Philadelphia Eddie  double fisted his drinks and unloaded his pistol of wit frequently, at one point added "Nothin's changed Lyle Tuttle's still fucking things up."

"Gill learned about his sex through trial and error. In fact one of his trials is still going and for one of his 'heirs'." roasted Tuttle.



Roast Master Lyle Tuttle

The evening got off to a rough start for the venue, and the air conditioning's non-existence didn't help  the chaos and the microphones needed adjusting. Once the technical difficulties were somewhat overcome, the roasting began with  side show sensation sword swallower and fire breather Tyler Fyre.

 Fyre started the roast off with a lovely story of a night in Texas with Gill-- the details are a bit graphic but the punchline "I know what you mean kid, I'm sore too-- I lost that hot dog five bars ago." will go down in history as the dirtiest story ever told.  "I love this guy--always have, always will." said Fyre "He's an all around great guy, he is the tattooed pirate, Mr.Tattoo Mania, he is a legend."



"I lost that hot dog 4 bars ago!"

Edward Lee contributed his take "I love Gill's work. I've loved it for a long time, I studied his skulls extensively. Then I realized they were anatomically incorrect. Yeah, the eyes are incorrect, they're bulging. Turns out they're looking at a girl.  I actually like this guy, when he's not being a big asshole." 

Marshall Bennett made his short and sweet "It smells like a nursing home in here"



"Nothin's changed Lyle Tuttle's still fucking things up" Eddie

"But I'll get right to Gill.  I've known about him forever, I heard all about his legend, and I finally got to meet him and... man what a letdown. " he laughed. "Seriously though, I've got mad respect for you, thank you."



Want some, get some.

Writer Eric Foemmel went next, and being Gill Montie's as well as Philadelphia Eddie's ghost writer, "People always ask what it's like working with Gill, I say yeah, it's bad ass.  I mean look up the definition of bad ass and it isn't Gill's picture--it's his mug shot." chuckled Foemmel."I've been writing his book, and I have to show him everything I do and he  says 'No you gotta take that out, that's a little sensitive' 'Nope that'll incriminate me.' 'Take out that picture, that's gonna start a war'  -- I mean when we go to print that book is gonna be one page, but it will be a bestseller."



Double fisted?

Host John Artist got up and presented the Cleveland Rocks plaque for best overall female as well as plaque commemorating the roast to Gill Montie on behalf of the Cleveland Rocks convention and his partner Joseph Phillips. "I gotta be careful with Gill though, cuz he held me in his room for three hours with a pistol to my head telling me what I could and couldn't say."  Half-tossed and gushing with love for Gill, Artist passed the mic to Detroit legend and long-time friend BobTyrrell.

"He just earned his white wings. Use your imagination folks" Lyle on Eddie



Black and grey master and fellow Detroit tattooer Bob Tyrrell said "There's no girls here so I'm stuck with Gill this weekend. Gill you're my hero, Lyle, you're my hero too, I have to fucking say that. " Tyrrell made fun of the hand tattoo Gill put on his right hand and the ensuing scabs and Gill's high pitched pimp voice and then admitted how fond of the piece he is "It's one of the my favorite tattoos, I'm proud to have this. I love you and you're my hero. You're one of my favorite people and I fucking love you"



Handsome devil, Crazy Philadelphia Eddie

Marshall Bennett

The roasters wore Gill's hat and passed it likes jokes about herpes.  The crowd interjected an clapped as the night drew to a close. Gill got the last word on his roasters with  heartfelt gratitude  "Thank you so much.  Just to be a part of this world, to be recognized by all of this is pretty special to me."  said Gill Montie. "How lucky can we be to have all this in our lives, right? What a fine bunch of men, I'm very humbled. Thank you  guys."



Philadelphia Eddie and BobTyrell

Dreams do come true... PMA with Miss Mary-Leigh!

My first national cover; thank you  Miss Mary-Leigh andTattoo Savage Magazine!