When the skin is ‘a piece of canvas’
Although he needs a quick cigarette
beforehand, Craig Ihrig is relatively
calm as tattoo artist Cary Steyer
prepares his arm for the reception of an
ominous — not to mention permanent
— skull.
Perhaps Ihrig, 25, is not nervous
because he has let Steyer work on his
hide many times before; warriors,
castles, planets and more adorn Ihrig’s
arms. An eagle swoops down his right .
forearm.
Ihrig describes the sensation of the
needle. “It feels like he’s printing on a
sunburn.”
Even though tattooing is not par
ticularly painful, infection is a threat
when the needles and other equipment
are not sterilized properly, Steyer says.
He says he uses the same type of
sterilizing equipment that surgeons
use.
Steyer and his wife, Patty, are the
Tattoo artist Gary Steyer works with
precision on Craig Ihrig's new tattoo
— a skull. Says Ihrig of the sensa
tion, “It feels like he's printing on a
sunburn. ”
r
proprietors of
Eugene’s only tattoo
parlor, Pacific Tattoo,
128 E. 11th, which
opened during the
summer. The Steyers
came to Eugene in
search of opportunity
and a slower-paced
lifestyle. “There was a
demand for a tattoo
parlor here. So far
there’s been a real
good market,” says
Steyer.
Patty Steyer worked
in a tattoo parlor in
Portland, where she
met her husband-to
be. The two were mar
ried in Portland a lit
tle more than a year
ago, on Halloween
night — in a tattoo
parlor.
Drawings that
depict mythical
monsters, roses,
jungle beasts, insects.
Gary Steyef, 32says he has spent more than half his life in
adds a new tattoo to Craig Ihrig’s collection.
apdtcMiip, tdiiuun
characters, Harley-Davidsons and bux
om beauties cover the walls in the
shop’s front room. Most of these are
Steyer’s originals.
As he looks at the sketches, he
replicates them, usually freehand but
sometimes using stencils, onto the
customer’s skin. His tattoos run from
$15 to several hundred dollars, depen
ding on the size and detail of the
design.
Steyer has spent more than half of
his life in the tattoo business, starting
out in Washington, D.C. and moving
on to make his marks in Daytona
Beach, Fla. and in Portland, before
opening the store in Eugene.
“I used to skip school and go to a
tattoo parlor in Washington, D.C., and I
started picking up different things,” he
says of his training.
When he was 13, Steyer received his
first tattoo, on his upper left arm (a
name with a heart and a rose). He says
he decided to get a tattoo “ ’cause
everybody else had one.”
Steyer, known as “Spider” to his
friends, is a big man, bearded and
balding. At 32, he has more tattoos
1
than he does years.
Though tattooing may not be con
sidered an art form to everyone, Steyer
sees it as one.
• “I use the skin as a piece of canvas. I
can’t erasfe. I can’t afford to make a
mistake,”, he says.
“People that don’t like tattoos have a
closed mind to it,” he adds.
Tattooing is far from an American
motorcycle-gang invention.
After invading Great Britain in 54
B.C., Julius Caesar reported that the
natives there had tattoos. In fact,
records of Egyptians marked with tat
toos date back earlier than 1300 B.C.,
according to Encyclopedia Americana.
“Tattooing and prostitution are the
two oldest art forms,” Steyer says, put
ting it into perspective.
In addition, Steyer says his art may
be uncovered beneath the shirt sleeves
of many. He says his clients range from
doctors and lawyers to ex-convicts.
One thing to remember, however, is
that tattoos are permanent and can only
be removed surgically, Steyer says.
The dyes, which are applied just
below the skin with a tattoo gun. are
made from purely natural substances
and are available in most colors except
metallic ones, Steyer says.
Much of Steyer’s work in Eugene in
volves repairing others’ mistakes, and
the slogan on his business card invites
such work. “If your tattoo is not
becoming to you, then you haven’t
been coming to us,” it reads.
Steyer says many of these unwanted
tattoos are done in prisons or in kids’
homes, using a needle, thread and
writing ink.
In fact, Ihrig found Steyer in search
of repairs on one such unprofessional
job. Ihrig had tattooed his fiancee’s
name on his arm on a cold, lonely
night in Alaska. Wandering into
Steyer’s shop one day, Ihrig asked
Steyer to cover the name up with a new
tattoo. He liked Steyer’s work and has
since been back for more.
“I won’t go to anyone else,” Ihrig
says, confident that "Spider” is the
best.
Story by Eric Apalategui
Photos by Steven Wall
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