|
|
"I have my own style with a lot of bold color and detail," Gleason said while adding flames to a dragon tattoo. "It is an art form, I just use other people's skin to create my work."
Business hasn't always been so successful for Gleason, who has been tattooing for some 15 years.
Last August, an arsonist set fire to Gleason's old shop in the 2300 block of East Washington Street, Petersburg, along with adjoining businesses Chang's Food Mart and Young's Laundry.
Fire officials found what they call "incendiary" devices at the site of the blaze as well as some which failed to ignite just inside the broken window of Chang's. They are still searching for more answers regarding who may have set the fire and why. Fire officials are offering a reward for information that leads to an arrest and a conviction, are asking that witnesses come forward.
The other two businesses lost in the fire had insurance and were quickly able to relocate and open for business. Gleason was not so lucky. The owner of the shop did not have insurance on his portion of the building, and Gleason had none for his tattoo equipment. In total he lost about $15,000 worth of tools, paints and other tattooing staples. But he also lost irreplaceable items such as his portfolio demonstrating some of his best work over the years and the awards and recognitions he had won throughout his career. In one night, in one brief moment, everything was gone. Gleason wasn't sure how to even begin to pick up the pieces. But then slowly, friends and family, as well as other tattoo artists, began to step forward offering Gleason a helping hand.
Some loaned him the money to get back on his feet, others donated tattooing guns and other equipment. Before long, he was on his way to getting back in the business of body art.
"I wasn't sure what way to go at first, wasn't sure if I was just done with all this but I am good at this you know," Gleason said. "I couldn't just give up. This is what I want to do with my life."
Gleason's new shop sits on the Boulevard in Colonial Heights, in an odd-shaped building with a circular roof and a long, wide waiting room. There is plenty of wall space for his flash art, several sofas for those waiting their turn to go under the needle and a separate room for the actual work.
On any given night, Gleason flits about the parlor with delight at being back in business and often stops to shake hands and talk shop with fellow tattoo enthusiasts.
Gleason, like many tattoo artists, has plenty of his own body art to show off. There are some, like the Viking woman riding on the back of a dragon which is displayed on his forearm, that he is proud of, others from a "troubled youth" and "dark period" of his life that he doesn't like to talk about. Some he intends to cover up, or even remove.
He is a steady churchgoer, can quote the Bible, tries not to curse, gave up drinking years before his 15-month-old baby boy was born and doesn't believe in tattooing racist or prejudice symbols. He also won't do neck, hand or face work, regardless of how much people are willing to pay. Despite the fact he has some of those very tattoos himself.
"A young guy comes in here wanting something on his neck or hands, say like some rap artist or musician he likes, but he isn't really thinking about what it might do for him in terms of finding a job," Gleason said. "You can have a great resume and be right for a job and somebody will not hire you because you have this tattoo that you can't hide and a lot of people still see tattoos in a bad light."
But slowly, the image is changing.
Colonial Heights resident Dana Palmer had always wanted a tattoo, she was just looking for the right artist. She found it in Gleason and liked his work so much that when her mother decided to get her first tattoo for her 54th birthday, Palmer took her to Gleason's shop.
"People used to think it was only for sailors and criminals but I think people have a much more open mind about it now," Palmer said. "So many athletes and stars have them that is has become mainstream and people are just used to seeing them."
Petersburg firefighter Lee Ward agreed.
Ward's first and only tattoo is of a firefighter, axe in hand, riding on the back of a fire breathing dragon. Gleason designed and did the piece, bringing Ward's dream to life.
"Tattoos are a way to express yourself and how you feel about something or the way you see the world," Ward said. "You can't just look at the tattoos, you have to look at what they say and mean and the artwork that went into them.
For Gleason, tattoos, like art, mimic life.
"Tattooing is an art, like Picasso," Gleason said. "Tattooing is another way to express life."
* Jennifer Francis may be reached at 732-3456, ext. 255.
