Tattoos: Not just another art form

Human beings have marked their bodies with tattoos for thousands of years as status symbols, depictions of love, amulets, religious signs of faith, adornments and sometimes forms of punishment, according to Cate Lineberry, "Tattoos: The Ancient and Mysterious History," Smithsonian Magazine.

In 1991 researchers discovered a frozen mummy from the area of the Italian-Austrian border with tattoo patterns etched in his remaining flesh, according to Lineberry.

"Iceman" became known as the earliest example of human tattoo practices and was carbon dated at around 5,200 years old, she said.

In modern society the human race is still practicing the art of tattooing for many of the same reasons ancient civilizations practiced thousands of years ago.

A form of expression

Dr. Kristina Welker, an Ahwatukee Foothills psychologist and licensed therapist, said she thinks people get tattoos as a way to express themselves: to cope with things like death and addiction, and use tattoos as a means of art collection.

"Some people find that their body can express what they have been unable to express verbally," Welker said. "Their tattoo can be symbolic and it can also help them grieve a loss."

She thinks tattoos have started to lose some of the negative connotations they were once paired with among members of society.

Welker said an article in the Los Angeles Times reported that The Archives of Dermatology found that about 25 percent of 18 to 30 year olds have tattoos, and the number is expected to rise to about 40 percent in the next few years.

Ahwatukee Foothills resident and tattoo connoisseur, Meredith Weir said she started getting tattoos because no one in her family is tattooed except for her grandfather.

"I became interested in tattoos because I thought they were beautiful," Weir said. "All of my tattoos pertain to religion, what I think about life or have something to do with my family."

Weir is a receptionist at Living Canvas tattoo shop in Tempe and said she thinks a lot of people get tattoos for the wrong reasons, but is happy that society is becoming more accepting of this art form.

"My passion is that one day everyone will realize that tattoos aren't just for sailors, truckers and hippies," she said. "People with tattoos come from all walks of life and it's time for it to be more accepted."

A form of art

Tony Olvera, tattoo artist and shop owner of Lady Luck Tattoo in Tempe, said he started drawing and painting as a child but was turned onto tattooing later in life. He has been tattooing for six years and specializes in tattooing portraits.

Olvera said he believes people are becoming more open to the idea of tattooing and he has seen clients he wouldn't normally expect to visit the shop.

He thinks each individual is different when it comes to tattoos. Some want tattoos for the image it perceives and others get tattooed because they appreciate the art behind it, Olvera said.

"I like to get tattooed by different artists because it's almost like I'm collecting art, but it's on my body instead of a canvas," he added.

Tattooing has become a way of life for many and history has proven that no matter how modern this art form becomes, in over 5,000 years the purpose of getting inked has hardly changed.

Melissa Matyas is interning this semester for the AFN. She is a senior at Arizona State University.