Two tattoo artists have recently helped raise the nation’s international profile with their sophisticated tattoo technique and aesthetic composition at international events.
Fran Ho (何釩), a 43-year-old tattoo artist from Jhongli, Taoyuan County, earlier this month defeated hundreds of international participants at the 17th Annual Toronto Tattoo Show, winning gold medals in two categories.
Ho’s works won in the “Large Colour” and “Large Black and Grey” categories.
Photo: Lee Jung-ping, Taipei Times
A self-taught tattoo artist, Ho became mesmerized by tattoo art after he graduated from vocational school. He started participating in local and international tattoo contests about six years ago, but the past two years have been his busiest, he said.
For the contests, Ho has traveled to Germany, Canada and the Philippines, which cost him NT$500,000 (US$16,500) in flights, he said. Even though the contests do not often offer participants prize money, he said he enjoys the process, as they provide him with a stage to showcase his skills.
Ho on Sunday demonstrated his prize-winning tattoos at his studio. The monochromatic Geisha, which topped the Large Black and Grey category, has a translucent effect, which accentuates the facial expression of the geisha and the feather pattern on her kimono.
The other work, which won first place in the “Large Colour” category, features a blue phoenix and a surrealist “leopard girl.”
Ho is now a master tattoo artist and a judge at numerous tattoo contests.
Meanwhile, earlier last month, 30-year-old Wu Hung-chin (吳紘慶) stole the show at an international tattoo competition in Beijing when his work won the top prize after beating more than 30 entries from artists from around the world.
Although he never went to high school, Wu is exceptionally talented in art.
He said he discovered his knack for painting when he was in the eighth grade, and soon fell in love with the style of art employed in tattoos.
However, it was not until his discharge from the military that he found himself a tattoo teacher.
During his first two years as a tattoo student, he said, he had a monthly salary of only NT$5,000, adding that he only achieved a steady income in the third year of his career, when his teacher allowed him to take on projects of his own.
Now in his fourth year as a professional tattoo artist, Wu’s annual income is bordering on NT$1 million.
His prize-winning work features a vivid portrait of the Taoist deity Ji Gong (濟公), embellished with auspicious clouds and a Chinese dragon. Wu said he got the inspiration when he visited a temple dedicated to Ji Gong. He said it took him two years to finish the painting on which he later based the tattoo, which took him another two months.
Wu said he would like to thank his mother for granting him the freedom to indulge his passion and making him understand that getting good grades at school is not the only way to become successful in life.
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