More than skin-deep

Chico State is showing some ink

By Sarah Rich

A snake loops around and bites its own tail; a dagger pierces a bleeding heart. These are some of the images seen around Chico, but instead of being painted on canvases, they're inked on human skin.

The art of tattooing has gained popularity by the decade, especially in Chico and around Chico State. With more than five tattoo shops in Chico, it's hard not to bump into someone who's sporting a little ink.

Sacred Art Tattooing artist Jamin Baxmeyer said although tattooing is thousands of years old, it's becoming more socially acceptable. Tattoos can represent memorials for people or can be done as an art form.

"I think all of us have it in us to be tattooed," Baxmeyer said.

Baxmeyer has a collection of tattoos on his body such as keys, human hearts and a nurse to represent his mom, but people don't have to be "tattoo collectors" to get the tattooing experience.

"Being afraid of a tattoo needle is like being afraid of a fork." -- Jim Preston

Anyone with an interest in a tattoo should have the experience but should not think of tattooing as what is seen on TV, he said.

Some people don't get tattoos because they are too afraid of the equipment. People shouldn't be afraid to get a tattoo because tattoo needles are not as scary as people make them out to be, said fellow tattoo artist Jim Preston.

"Being afraid of a tattoo needle is like being afraid of a fork," Preston said.

Not all tattoos are allowed to be inked within the shop. At Sacred Art, the tattoo artists try to stay away from inking anything too offensive, Preston said.

"We try to stay away from anything sexist," Preston said.

For Chico State senior Kathy Wright, getting a tattoo took a lot of thought and planning, she said. She decided to get her first tattoo after giving birth to her daughter and her second tattoo on her 31st birthday.

Wright got the second tattoo at Victory Tattoo as a birthday present to herself last March, Wright said. The tattoo is an Ouroboros, which is a snake eating its own tail. The tattoo was inked to her wrist.

The snake is a symbol of infinity and in some cultures, it's used as a symbol of the universe to mean it's never ending, she said.

"The fact that it's eating its tail means from death comes life," Wright said. "Life sustains itself on other life."

Other Chico State students like junior Laura Watson get tattoos they design themselves. Watson spent a year and a half designing the perfect calla lily which she had inked to her hip, she said.

"It's colorful with a green stem and the flower is white with purple accents," Watson said.

Watson had always wanted a tattoo and when her grandfather died, she was inspired to get a tattoo that represented purity and innocence, she said. Getting a tattoo should take lots of consideration because they last forever and can be an inconvenience for certain jobs or with a pregnancy.

"Get something meaningful and strategically place your tattoo."

Sarah Rich can be reached at sa.sarah.rich@gmail.com.