There was a time, a few decades ago, when having a tattoo generally meant one of two things: that you served in the military or that you had served time in prison. Those days are long gone as having “ink” has gone mainstream.
This past weekend at the Tattoo Convention held at the Tampa Convention Center, thousands of people turned out to show off their tattoos, or to get a new one from any of an estimated 400 tattoo artists performing their art on flesh, live during the convention.
At the convention center, the demographics of the attendees were broad and ranged in age from 18 to at least 70s. The convention included an appearance by Jason Clay Dunn, season five winner of the Spike television show, Ink Master. There were also prizes awarded for various types of tattoos.
Mitch Traphagen photos.
Tattoos aren’t just for young people anymore: a 48-year-old woman with her still-healing first ink, created by artist Derek Raulerson at the highly renowned Mike Parson’s Ink in Riverview. www.mikeparsonsink.com
