5th annual Visionary Tattoo Arts Festival 7.25.14

Kelly Killigan of Premium Blend Tattoos in Manahawkin works on Courtney Letwinch at the 5th annual Visionary Tattoo Arts Festival at the Asbury Convention Center in Asbury Park.

(Alex Remnick/The Star-Ledger)

When Ray Bradbury wrote "The Illustrated Man" in 1951, he conjured up the fantasy of a man wandering America as an outcast. The character was unable to keep a job because he was covered with tattoos that moved and told a story that often revealed the future of the beholder. Even more outlandish, the artist who illustrated him was a woman who claimed to be from the future.

Last weekend, the fifth annual Visionary Tattoo Arts Festival was held in Asbury Park. Thousands of people gathered at Convention Hall either to be illustrated by the artists present, or proudly show the ink they already wear.

According to a 2012 poll by Harris Interactive, one in five Americans has a tattoo. For the first time, women outpaced men in having one. Since the previous poll in 2008, the number of women with tattoos rose 10 percent to 23 percent in 2012. In the same amount of time, men gained only 4 percent for a total of 19 percent.

Jon Jon Lane, director of the festival, says attendance at the event is evenly mixed between men and women. And each year, it gets more visitors. Lane thinks being tattooed is becoming more popular in the mainstream.

Alyssa Sperduto is tattooed by Taylor Mills at the 5th annual Visionary Tattoo Arts Festival at the Asbury Convention Center in Asbury Park.

"It is more respectable for women to get tattooed. Before it was seen as a more masculine type of thing," he says. "Now you see a lot more younger females with tattoos, which I think is great for everybody."

One place the even mix between men and women is not evident is on the artist roster. With 150 artists to choose from at the event, less than 10 percent are women.

Kelly Killagain worked the convention for the first time. She did an internship with Ty Pallotta at Premium Blend in Manahawkin and returned to work there after earning a degree in fine arts from Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia. Learning how to use the equipment was difficult at first, but she approached it as she had other mediums new to her, such as welding and printmaking.

"Because of my background, I think of tattoos as little drawings, prints or paintings. The realism tattoos that I do, I approach them as paintings. Then there are other pieces with lots of line work and stippling. Those to me are like prints," she says.

Becky Sudul, 22, of East Brunswick, found Killagain's portfolio through the festival's Facebook page. "I wanted to get origami paper cranes on my leg, and I saw she specializes in line work, so I thought she would be a good fit," she said while lying on a padded massage table.

Killagain sat close to her, intently working on the design. Her asymmetrically bobbed hair was pinned back to reveal eyes rimmed with a sweep of eyeliner delicately upturned at the corners.

This tattoo is Sudul's fourth, and the first done by a woman. She feels there aren't enough women in the tattoo scene.

Killagain agrees. One of her female clients at the show was approached by a man and asked if she was getting a tattoo. When she replied, yes, he asked, "What dude's tattooing you?" She answered " I'm actually getting tattooed by a girl" and he asked incredulously, "Oh, really?"

"He was confused. When you think of a tattoo artist, most people think of a male, so there is much further that we need to go," Killagain says.

She is the only woman working at Premium Blend now. Pallotta's wife was also working there when she began her internship. Having another woman there made her feel comfortable -- and confident that if another woman could do the work, she could, too.

If she had to move on to another shop in the future, she'd like to work with female artists. "I feel comforted being around females. I went to college with all females. I grew up in a house with all females. So it's a steady support base," she says.

LOYAL CLIENTELE

Dani Staples felt the same way. She started working in the industry 10 years ago and opened her own shop, Electric Land Tattoo in Randolph, two years ago. Her business employs two female artists, a female apprentice and a male apprentice.

She prefers helping up-and-coming women artists to competing with them. "I enjoy teaching people and it seems to be easier with women," she says.

She acknowledges that working in a male-dominated industry has its challenges.

Dani Staples of Electric Land Tattoo in Randolph works on a small piece for Chrissy DeMicco at the 5th annual Visionary Tattoo Arts Festival at the Asbury Convention Center in Asbury Park.

"I think you definitely have to work harder to compete with all these guys. A lot of people come in and they want to get tattooed by a guy. They think that girls can't draw well or something. It's crazy. But we definitely work very hard at what we do."

Most of Staples' clients are women, but she has plenty of male devotees. One customer raves on her website that he is a living gallery of her work. "He gets tattooed by famous people all over the place. He loves my work and comes back over and over. That is a huge boost for me," she says.

James Laurie, 24, of Middletown, was at the show getting his second tattoo from Nikki Glidear from Working Class Art in Branchburg.

She chewed gum and peered out from under blond bangs at her progress on a ship being pulled down by an octopus that was slowly appearing on his upper left arm.

Nikki Glider of Working Class Art works on Sammy Nelson's arm at the 5th annual Visionary Tattoo Arts Festival at the Asbury Convention Center in Asbury Park.

"Nikki's my favorite artist and I'm going to stick with her," Laurie says. "I don't see a difference between getting a tattoo from a man or a woman. Art is art. I think it is a sad situation that there are less women in tattooing because it is a unique art form."

Killagain is quick to point out the male artists she met at the show have been very supportive. "I don't think they are looking at me as a female artist," she says. "I think they are looking at me as a new young artist."

BUSINESS CASUAL

A few hours after meeting each other for the first time, Killagain finished Becky Sudul's origami cranes and they gave each other a hug.

"A tattoo is a bonding experience," Killagain said afterward. "It's about connecting. It's an intimate, hard process. You are going through pain to get to something beautiful. You have to trust your artist, and we have to trust the client is going to allow us to apply our artistic abilities."

Becky straightened her top and paid Killagain for the job. Her cheeks glowed pink with the adrenaline rush that comes with getting a new tattoo. She doesn't think she will ever stop getting tattoos but is conscious about where she places them so they won't be exposed in her workplace.

On the other side of convention hall, Sarah Revesz, 23, of Bordentown, was receiving a red poppy on her lower leg by Frank Rudy who is known for working with saturated colors. The piece has a personal meaning to Revesz, commemorating her great-uncle who was a veteran and had a Purple Heart. He worked as a gardener at Princeton University.

"It represents what he did in his life. He planted things and took care of other people's gardens," she says.

Alyssa Sperduto is tattooed by Taylor Mills at the 5th annual Visionary Tattoo Arts Festival at the Asbury Convention Center in Asbury Park.

She's spent the past two years working at Timeless Tat2 in Bordentown with Rudy and Chris Stumpf. They have done all of her tattoos. She is getting ready to take the GRE to get into a graduate program.

"I can't do anything on my arms or my neck or my hands," she says. "I did mess-up by getting my foot tattooed so now I have to wear boots or loafers to work. You've got to be careful with things."

Rudy's wife, Rachel Ortolano of Kendall Park, took advantage of a break in his schedule at the show and had the word princess inked across her knuckles in pink and black.

At work she has to cover her arms which are inked with portraits of her favorite Disney princesses, Cinderella, Mulan and the Little Mermaid.

"I know I'm going to get in trouble at work for getting my hands done but I feel like if it is not offensive, then it shouldn't be a problem. I don't think people should be put down upon for the way they look or dress."

On the occasions clients have seen a glimpse of her arm, they tell her they think it is cute.

One can only wonder what Ray Bradbury would think of how the illustrated man — and woman — has evolved since he penned his story.