Shop for Good

By Thom “Tex” Wheeler.

metal sculpture with turquoise 20"x15"

“Inspiration doesn’t play by many rules. It rides in on the wind and

shares your coffee break. Recently during a project, a client and I got

to talking about tattoos. She mentioned a tattoo festival being held in

the Washington DC area in the coming weeks. There it was, the spark

of inspiration. I don’t have any tattoos myself but the thought of all

those people with their stories essentially written on their bodies was

something I felt an immediate pull to photograph. I’m always seeking

characters and these were characters I wanted to capture.

These portraits are so alive with stories, the backgrounds amplifying

the investment in expression. These people had amazingly detailed,

as well as personal, tattoo work, it was such a clear commitment of

time - and money - on their part. The whole experience turned out to

be a blast - talking and working with people from all walks of life

bonded by their ink. It’s been amazing to spend a few minutes with

these people and to make their portraits. I find the end product

captivating, mysterious and revealing. But, I still don’t have any

tattoos.” — Cade Martin

Photograph of Brian Gonzales

Framed size is 51x66
Unframed size is 41x56

Framed using plexiglass and acid free mats