The Art And Meaning Of Tattoos
By VERONICA HAGGAR
Staff Writer
Located in Lake Worth, Walking Art Studios is a tattoo studio with a spacious room and a relaxing atmosphere. The tattoo artists from the studio have many years of experience and their passions for tattooing reflects in their beautiful and excellent pieces of artwork.
“I have three tattoos, all done by Shea Vancleve of Walking Art Studios,” said Jesse Weissman, junior. “I had originally gone to see him at a different shop here in Boca, but followed him over to Lake Worth because of the better working environment at his new shop.”
Vancleve has mastered the art of tattooing for 25 years, and now he is a part owner of Walking Art Studios.
When asked about his specialty, Vancleve confessed that he tries not to limit himself since people come in with new ideas every day. Vancleve admitted that portraits and pinups have always been his area of expertise.
“I feel with art, there are several million ways to do something,” said Vancleve. “When I hear artists say, ‘it’s not my style’ I believe it is a cop out. Try to figure out a way to do it in your style so the customer likes it,” said Vancleve. “This is why there are names for so many styles these days: new school, old school, traditional, neo traditional, stylized, abstract; just to name a few. It’s about what you and the client both think is art.”
The first tattoo idea Weissman trusted Vancleve to bring to life was a quarter sleeve of a wolf with roses on her left shoulder, which took four hours to complete. The wolf howling and the roses all symbolize something, and the piece altogether has a special and personal meaning behind it.
“The wolf resembles how withdrawn I might be from others sometimes, as cliché as it sounds. After all, the wolf is the prominent symbol of that mentality,” said Weissman.
“He’s howling as if he were calling out to those who are in the same boat, because I know that I’m not the only one who has this outlook on life. The roses surround him to show that beneath the constant struggle of independence lies a certain beauty to following the heart instead of following the crowd and by choosing knowledge over ignorance and conformity.”
The second piece Weissman had done was a set of wings surrounding a bow and arrow she already had on her back. The third tattoo is a quote by Socrates that reads “Scio me nihil scire,” which in Latin means “all I know is that I know nothing at all.” The quote is an extension of the wolf sleeve that Weissman is planning on getting sometime in the near future.
“It’s always nice to have the opportunity to establish a relationship with your artist. Shea and I have become pretty good friends and I would recommend him to anyone,” said Weissman.
