In Ink Spot, Amy Price stops strangers in Dallas to shoot, and learn about, their body art.
Jeff Biehler, a 38-year-old bartender (at Billiard Bar and The Foundry) and guitarist for the trash metal band Maleveller, is actually sweeter than his tattoos might portray. On the top of Biehler's right arm is a tribute to his deceased grandfather, by Jeff Brown at Hold Fast tattoo.
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"My father called me not long after my grandfather died and he said 'Hey lets get a tattoo with the Biehler name on it,'" Biehler says. "My grandfather was in World War II and he [my father] had his name Ted on his arm and he wanted to get Biehler because my grandfather was a badass."
The opposing arm is pretty much an Oliver Peck gallery. At the top is a horrifyingly yet sexy Baphmet rocking the upside down cross necklace, and a flaming skull coming out of her crotch region. The Baphmet represents "evil." Biehler said he and Peck like to collaborate to come up with the best art possible. "I want him to be excited about it that way he can do a cool tattoo."
Below the Baphmet is a Kirin, a Chinese mythological creature, a mix between a horse-like figure and a dragon. "I came in and told him I wanted a dragon, and he said what about a Kirin?"
On the inside of his bicep is another strong figure, an Indian warrior with feathered headdress. Biehler said he is from the town of Anadarko, Oklahoma, a city known for its Native American population.
"I collect Indian things and Indian art and he [Peck] came up with that... its like a war Indian."
His first Peck experience came 12 years ago with his jack of clubs tattoo. "I like cards and dice and I was just going through my deck and the jack of clubs stuck out for me," he explains. "I did some research and he's [jack of clubs] like a fighter and his club is a weapon -- I like weapons, made since."
On the outside of his forearms are two brightly colored lightening bolts. The Hold Fast artist took the deisgn right off a Gibson guitar strap. He actually got denied by another shop because of the tattoo's resemblance to a well known hate group.
"Apparently it's represents some white power crap, some ss thing and I've had a couple of people come up to me and ask me about that. I don't care everyone has their own interpretations of tattoos."
On top of his right wrist is a green and red rooster. He had been to a Camel Cigarette party at Double Wide, where Camel had paid four artists to tattoo for 5 hours straight. "It was all kind of done in weird sitting in the dark when they were running out of ink kind of deal."
Underneath the rooster on his forearm is the name Shontá, who had been a co-worker of his at Capitol Pub. "She was kind of in a bad mood and her birthday was the next day and I got really wasted and decided to get her name tattooed on me thinking she'd be really stoked about it and she was like 'um, thanks?'" Biehler said even though she was indifferent about it, he thinks its funny and because it looks like a prison tattoo. So sweet
Music is his passion, though, and has been with Maleveller for the past four years. Their next show is slated for the fourth annual "Toys for Tots Concert" at Tress on December 17.
