A Taiwanese tattoo artist defeated hundreds of contestants from more than 50 nations to win 24 titles, including 10 champion trophies, at the second annual Houston Tattoo Arts Convention in Texas earlier this month.
Taoyuan Tattoo Trade Union chairman Fran Ho (何釩), who has been a tattoo artist for more than 30 years, on Sunday said that he has liked drawing since he was a child and became obsessed with tattoos when he became a teenager, so he chose to become a tattoo artist immediately after he graduated from school.
Ho’s sophisticated tattoo techniques and use of bold colors have made him famous in Taiwan and he began participating in international tattoo art events seven or eight years ago, achieving outstanding results in more than a dozen nations.
Photo courtesy of Fran Ho
A colorful and magnificent piece called “Dancing Dragon and Phoenix,” which spans the arms, filling the front and back of the trunk, and reaches the thighs of a woman surnamed Hsu (許), helped Ho win first prize in the “Large Color” category in Houston this year.
Ho lost contact with Hsu when the design was only half finished. When she finally got back in touch after several months to have the tattoo completed, he learned that she had cancer and had been undergoing chemotherapy.
Hsu said that the phoenix bathing in fire on her back and the dragon head on her chest symbolize rebirth and courage, reminding her to live with hope in her heart, Ho quoted Hsu as saying.
“Tattooing is a complicated and delicate art, narrating life experiences and dreams,” Ho said, adding that every detail of a tattoo affects the outcome, such as the composition, the stroke lengths and the pain tolerance of the client.
Ho vowed to continue refining his skills and observe the world carefully to achieve even better results.
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