Art of the body: Tattoos share spotlight in Rosemont
Toby Fox says tattoos are like potato chips - you can't have just one.
The Glen Ellyn woman wore fake tattoos all through her 40s to see what the reaction would be before finally getting a permanent red rose on her upper chest at age 50. Now 68, Fox is on the verge of getting her 14th, and she says final, tattoo.
On Friday, she strolled the more than 100 booths set up for the 2010 Chicago Body Art Expo at Rosemont's Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. She was on the lookout for the artist who would design her new dragon tattoo, the Chinese zodiac sign, for both her husband and son.
"All the symbols mean something to me and many reflect my Buddhist leanings," Fox said. "At first I had people asking me if I was going to join the circus or a biker gang, but I just laughed it off."
The three-day expo this year moved to Rosemont from Navy Pier, where it had drawn about 15,000 people annually since its start in 2003. Attendance was slow Friday afternoon, but show manager Edwin Lee is confident the multitude of artists, bands and contests will bring in a crowd.
The show continues from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday at 5555 N. River Road, Rosemont. The cost is $25 for a one-day pass and $45 for a weekend pass.
One of the lead contenders for best overall tattoo is Joe Capone, an Oklahoma resident who's a regular on the tattoo convention circuit. He has a "suit," meaning every inch of his arms, legs and torso is covered in tattoos.
Capone's $95,000 body of work took about 400 hours spread out over two years. He's in the business of breeding and selling reptiles, so various pythons and other scaly animals can be found in the Japanese-style jungle.
"It's a culture, a way of life," Capone said. "And I just lost 62 pounds and the tattoos didn't get disfigured, so I'm happy."
While Capone wasn't due to add to his collection at the convention, Michele Hilsenbeck of North Aurora was. Tattooist Chris May of Proton Tattoo in DeKalb shaved and sterilized Hilsenbeck's upper right arm before getting to work at his booth, as Hilsenbeck's brother and sister-in-law from Fox Lake took pictures.
Hilsenbeck, 46, a self-described conservative pharmacist, got her first tattoo in April to mark some major life changes and get out of her comfort zone.
"My dad didn't talk to me for a week and then wanted a DNA test to know if I was really his child," Hilsenbeck said. "But I think tattoos get a bad rap. They can be quite tasteful. It's not so counterculture anymore."
Hilsenbeck asked May to base his flower design off a Hallmark Mother's Day greeting card she gave to him.
While flowers, stars and butterflies remain popular among females new to tattoos, a growing trend May's not thrilled about is the written word.
"I've got tons of girls coming in asking to put paragraphs of bad poetry on them," May said. "That's got to stop."
May himself is in the process of getting the previously trendy tribal sun on his right shoulder lasered off to the point he can cover it up with a new tattoo.
As for other trends, tattoo artist Wendy Hell of Chicago said traditional old-school tattoos - she likens them to what sailors in white bell bottoms used to have - are making a comeback.
She said the industry has changed drastically since she started her apprenticeship 14 years ago in California.
"It used to be male-dominated, but now it's very female friendly," Hell said. "People are seeing tattoos as art you can carry with you."