We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Piper a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Piper, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
My most meaningful project to date would have to be my self-published book American Ink$linger: The Confessions and Illustrations of a Penitentiary Tattoo Artist. It’s a memoir along with my complete collection of artwork from the twelve years I spent locked up.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Piper and as long as I can remember I’ve been an artist. I’ve always had this drive to create and contribute something to this world, whether it’s something beautiful or disgusting. To leave a lasting impact is my ultimate goal, to envoke some kind of feeling out of people. That’s what makes it all worth it.
I honed my skill behind bars as a young man and continue to grow as an artist every day. I’m forty-five years old now and have completely dedicated my life to tattooing. I spent over ten years in busy shops around Denver, where I learned how to tattoo every style that walked in the door, including free hand tattoos. I’m currently located at a friend’s private studio in Lakewood, where I can focus on my art without any of the drama that plagues a lot shops today, a true sanctuary.
My clients can expect the upmost respect and professionalism from me. I love to collaborate ideas and create original design just for them, and most of my clients actually become some of my best friends. Tattoo therapy is a real thing.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
While incarcerated, tattooing was illegal and carried some stiff consequences. If you got caught tattooing or with a fresh tattoo, you’d get a write-up and have to go to a hearing. Where you were pretty much guaranteed to be found guilty, losing up to fifty days earned time, and getting twenty days in the hole. There was a real risk to tattooing in prison, but I had an unruly habit of not giving a shit. I did close to two extra years just for tattooing, but it helped keep me positive and focused on the future. I wasn’t going to give it up.
Once you’ve been caught and become a known tattoo artist, you are considered hot. They’ll start watching you closer and searching you and your cell more, especially if they notice more ink showing up on other inmates. You become suspect number one.
To get away with it, I had to devise a new technique called “two dudes, one cup”, but I obviously needed help. I’d recruit two of the fellas to keep eyes, to look out for the guards while I tattooed. I’d have one dude sitting in the day room, where he could see all the doors into the cell block. He would just sit there reading, writing or playing cards all nonchalant with a coffee cup at the corner of the table. I’d have the other dude standing out of sight at my cell door, just watching the coffee cup. Whenever a guard would walk into cell block, he would simply move the cup to other corner. That was the signal to stop tattooing. I’d quickly wrap up all of the equipment into a sock and give it to the look out to hide in his waist band before walking out of the cell. I’ve even had my look out with the whole tattoo set up on him walk right past the goon squad on their way search me and my cell. This technique worked flawless for years.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I hope that my art and story can help others find motivation to do something that matters, something that they can be passionate about and look forward to.
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