Jesse Smith @Tattoo Jam 2011

Way back at the beginning of the month, the Tru:Teknology files staff were lucky enough to get the chance to visit one of the world’s largest tattoo conventions, Skin Deep’s Tattoo Jam 2011. Held at Doncaster’s prestigious racecourse, the 2 day show featured in-excess of 300 artists from around the world, giving the uninitiated the perfect opportunity to experience the true diversity that’s now available in the modern tattoo scene.

Moving away from the usual stereotypes of flash and tribal tattooing, Tattoo Jam’s huge selection of artists offered something for everyone; wether it be Henrik Gallon’s unique ‘wood block ‘ style, the modern take on Punk typography adopted by the likes of Xoil, or the awe inspiring photo-realistic work of Dave Corden. We couldn’t resist getting work done ourselves, with the wonderfully talented Italian artist, Capex Style, inking the beautiful 50’s inspired robot that’s currently healing on my left arm!

Jesse Smith

Whilst it was an honour to be be inked by one of Italy’s finest, the artist that left the biggest impression on the team had to be the truly amazing Jesse Smith. Currently based in Richmond, Virginia, at his own Loose Screw studio, Jesse really is in a league of his own when it comes to both character design and use of colour- out stripping all competition with a unique ‘grafitti’ approach to tattooing.

Originally working with spray paints, Jesse started creating tattoo designs for his friend Carlos, eventually making a ‘ghetto gun’ to etch his first design onto skin. Moving professionally into the industry in 1999, Jesse was quickly propelled to the forefront of the tattooing scene, developing a style that still seems ‘breakthrough’ even by today’s standards.

Alongside his beautiful tattoos, Jesse has also built a strong reputation in the emerging urban art scene, with artworks and custom toy designs featuring at the esteemed Munnyworld (pictured) and Drawing Blood exhibitions amongst others. His art has also adorned t-shirt designs for the likes of Bleeding Star, Methods NYC and Politrics.

Jesse @Tattoo Jam

Seeing photos of Jesse’s work, it’s hard not to be impressed by the level of detail and vividness of colour, but it isn’t until you see it in the flesh that you realise just how show-stopping his talent is! We visited the convention on the Sunday, and were able to have a brief chat with Rianne Rowlands, an illustrator who had spent 12 hours the day before being ‘worked on’ by the mighty Jesse. Her Jackelope and Guinea Pig design (pictured) appeared to almost leap off the skin, leaving me to beg Jesse to come back to the country to work on me as soon as possible- here’s hoping he makes Tattoo Jam 2012, or I’m going to be taking a long trip to Richmond next year!

For more information on Jesse and his work, check out his web page here.

(photos- riannerowlands/jessesmith)