Lenny B
A Chicago native, I moved to Colorado in 1995 to attend the University of Colorado. Having been tattooed by several Chicago artists of the day, I was always searching out tattoo artists. In 1986 I got schilled into getting my entire back tattooed by this hack named Frank Winters. Luckily I only got the lines done, but I spent the next 5 years trying to fix the mess, invariably making it more of a mess.
After receiving my BA in 1988 I returned to Chicago, and through a twist of fate was reunited with Guy Aitchison who reluctantly agreed to work on covering my back. At that time Guy was at Body Basics’ original location in Chicago, which is where I met Reverend Mad Jack. After working for Jack for an extremely short period of time, i returned to Colorado in 1992 hoping to design and manufacture body jewelry for an emerging market in Colorado.
In 1994 I founded Fetish Design Jewelry. By the year 2000 jewelry magins had quickly diminished, and most body jewelry was being made in Thailand sweatshops. I got out of the industry altogether, inevitably returning in 2003 to supply the industry again and start my tattoo apprenticeship. Seeing the growing demand for pre-made needles, I contracted with private companies to maufacture them, as well as manufacturing my own supplies like foot switches and custom silicone grip covers. My company Dayak Tattoo still supplies local Colorado tattoo professionals, but it has taken a back seat to tattooing.
I have been tattooing with Larry Foussat at Havana Street Tattoo in Aurora Colorado since January 2006. Through my 13 years of industry experience I have had the honor and pleasure of meeting so many nice people and really great tattooers. I’ve personally been tattooed by Guy, Henk Schiffmacher, Leo Zulueta, Dave Waugh, Tony Hundahl, Mike Nichols, Phil Bartell, Josh Everett, Brian Moore, Walter McDonald, Ben “Chase” Thompson, Chad Stewart, Eric Brennan and others. I didn’t tip any of them very well, if at all, and I’m really sorry for that! So learn from my mistakes, and always tip your artist!!