Wyoming Tattoo And Body Piercing
News And Articles...

Casper, Wyoming
06/02/07

Police arrest body piercer.

National Piercing Day went horribly wrong for one Casper man.

Casper police arrested Stanley "Scooter" Dalton on four counts of piercing underage girls without consent from their parents or legal guardians.

Dalton, 34, is currently on probation for failing to register as a sex offender.

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Courtesy of: casperstartribune.net

'How can you have a life?

Michael Wicks says he's a good guy.

He ticks off the reasons: He's been married for 10 years to the same woman, helped her raise the two daughters she had with another man, and held down two jobs, working as a tattoo artist and a pizza delivery man to support his blended family.

But Wicks, 38, has a secret: He's a convicted sex offender. In 1991, he was 22 and had sex with a 15-year-old girl. In 1992, he did it again; this time, he was 23, and the victim was only 14. Wicks says the sex in both circumstances was consensual. He is not classified as a high-risk offender, so he isn't listed on state sex offender online databases.

"We are becoming a haven for sex offenders," Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Tony Ross, R-Cheyenne, said. So the Legislature is considering a bill that would require all sex offenders to register in an online database, with the offenders' license plate numbers and lists of their offenses accessible to the public via the Internet.

Wicks says he's most worried that if his license plate is listed on a sex offender database, his family's safety may be in jeopardy. "I'm not the only person behind the wheel of that vehicle," Wicks said. "I'm worried about my daughter, who just had our grandbaby, driving down the road and having her head blown off by some idiot who 'wants to get him a sex offender."'

Wicks said he feels the proposed law is unfair to people like him, who have tried to turn their lives around. "If I'm on a database as a sex offender for something I did 15 years ago, I'll probably lose my job. Then I won't be able to pay to keep a roof over my head, so I'll lose my place, and I'll have to go on welfare," Wicks said. "Without a job, income and place to live, how can you have a life?"

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Courtesy of: casperstartribune.net

Tattooists display art where the sun don't shine...

Justin Maki is one of six tattoo artists who shed the "tattoo" part of their titles this month, and showed that their bodies of work extends beyond bodies. Their paintings and drawings will grace the walls of the Metro Coffee Company through February.

Canfield-Wheeler's work on a female customer -- a back-encompassing land-and-seascape crawling with leopards, dolphins, fish and more -- is the only photo of a tattooed subject on display. The woman's back took 30 to 40 hours to complete over a two-year span, she said. The same portrait runs in the March 2007 issue of Tattoo Magazine.

Aside from the tattoo picture, the artists submitted paintings and drawings with subjects varying from pirate ships to wildlife to psychedelic designs in media from oils to graphite. It's not just flaming skulls and "Mom" hearts.

The show opened Monday night, with about 30 or 40 friends and family members gathering to celebrate the event. Several people offered to buy some of the works, and there's talk of making this an annual event.

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Courtesy of: casperstartribune.net

Tattoos are making mark in Cheyenne.

The first question usually is "Does it hurt?" said Steven Martinez, tattoo artist and owner of Bad-Ass Tattoo Co. He added that when he got his first tattoo 16 years ago, there was only one shop operating in Cheyenne. Now there are five.

But it doesn't hurt that the art has gotten better, said Andy Robbins, manager and tattoo artist at Skibo's Tattoo Studio. Tattoo artists of the past relied on stencils, while today's ink experts are trained in design, he said. Many head straight from art school into a tattoo shop as an apprentice.

Mark Ray, the owner of Buka Tattoo and Body Piercing, said more parents are giving permission to their underage children. Mark said he prefers to wait until his customers reach the age of 18.

Customers should look for a clean establishment with sterilized surfaces, said Roy Kroeger, supervisor for Cheyenne-Laramie County Health Department. Tattoo shops are licensed through the department and inspected every year.

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Courtesy of: wyomingnews.com

Lovell, Wyoming
09/01/06

Tattoo shop serves eclectic clientele.

Tattoo artist Mike Wicks likes to create custom designs for his clients, which usually means coming up with just the right snake, dagger, rose or skull. Or bull elk.

Wicks follows strict procedures for ensuring a safe and sterile environment, though there is no licensing requirement for tattoo shops in Park County.

Wicks said Laramie, Natrona and Sweetwater counties are the only ones in the state that require licenses for tattoo shops, which he supports.

Some artists work in unclean environments and don’t follow careful sterilization protocols, he said, and licensing would help fix that problem.

Wicks and apprentice tattoo artist Tim VanGinsven work Wednesday through Sunday.

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Courtesy of: helenair.com

Current And Pending Wyoming Laws...

Board re-evaluating piercing regulations.

During its April 24 meeting, the board voted on a set of rules to regulate tattooing and body piercing in Teton County, including a ban of genital and tongue piercings. Board members said it was a matter of safety and cited worries about infection.

Susan Woodward, owner of Sub-Urban Tattooing, was not present at the meeting. Woodward had been at a March meeting to present the board with information on the body-art industry, voice opinions on the proposed regulations and urge the board not to ban the piercings.

The board used many of Woodward’s suggestions, including requiring no background checks for artists and lowering the license fee.

The body-art regulations were added to the health board’s agenda on Tuesday. The primary reason is to allow Woodward to voice her opinions because she felt as though she wasn’t heard, said Terri Gregory, public health manager.

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Courtesy of: jacksonholenews.com

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