70 Year Old Retired Accountant Covers Body With Tattoos

A 70 year old, retired accountant who is the pillar of his local community is hiding a secret under his white shirt and tie – he’s covered in tattoos. Now Stephen Perry, from Bristol, is ready to show his true colours as he appears on the latest episode of Spike’s Tattoo Disasters. The 70-year-old grandfather shows off the Pre-Raphaelite-inspired designs that cover his chest, back, arms and legs on the television show.

‘For years, I didn’t tell people, I kept it hidden,’ he said. ‘I think people’s perception of me is that I am a normal, white middle-class retired professional.’ Stephen, who has run as a candidate in local council elections and is a chairman numerous community groups, first had a small tattoo in his fifties.

However, he was concerned he would be judged for it so he kept it secret. ‘I had a very small tattoo and I was terrified it would be seen. I was always worried it would prejudice my career, particularly when I was in business,’ the married father-of-four said.

Nevertheless, when he left the corporate world behind, he chose to completely unleash his love for ink in his retirement. Now he’s covered in body art and keeps searching for brand-new designs so that he can enhance his collection as he trawls museums and galleries for inspiration. ‘I think being interested in art I was drawn towards having some kind of representation of major pieces of art. My eye was always caught by art nouveau and Pre-Raphaelite work, which I think is beautiful,’ he said.

Perry has no intention of stopping, he already got the idea for his latest design – a green and yellow graphic print band around his thigh – from a Greek statue at a museum in Copenhagen.

Now the pensioner, who has six grandchildren, is happy for people to learn about his art work and even features it in his election campaign pamphlets as a way of urging voters not to judge a book by its cover.

Read full article here.

Original article written by: Lucy Waterlow for MailOnline

Original source: dailymail.co.uk