Leanna Trunzo drove 2½ hours and paid $300 Saturday to prove her dedication to John Lennon.

A portrait of the Beatle was permanently etched on her left calf during the 18th annual Shades of Blue Tattoo Show at the La Crosse Center.

Tattoo artist Alex Vance of Grinnell, Iowa applies his needle to the neck of Jamie Thompson, of Des Moines, Iowa at the Shades of Blue tattoo show a Saturday at the La Crosse center. Thompson was getting the diamond rose tattoo as a memorial to her mother who passed away suddenly in November. PETER THOMSON photo

“The Beatles are my favorite band, and John Lennon is my favorite Beatle. He’s a complicated person,” said Trunzo, 24, of Madison, of her 12th tattoo. “I like my tattoos to be committed to something that is important to me.”

Trunzo and more than 1,000 other tattoo lovers and artists gathered this weekend as the center’s North Hall was transformed into a tattoo parlor. Rock music blared over the buzz of tattoo guns and through a cloudy haze of cigarette smoke. The show, which continues from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. today, features live tattooing, entertainment and tattoo judging.

“This is exciting,” said event organizer Robin Hanson of Mindoro, Wis. “There is a lot of talent here.”

People choose the permanent art for a a variety reasons, said tattoo artist Chris Henry, 35, of Martins Ferry, Ohio. Some want “the look,” he said. A tattoo can mark a life milestone or serve as a tribute. Some like exercising the power to self-modify, Henry said.

“Getting tattooed is the ultimate proof of ownership of yourself,” he said.

Here are some stories from the show:



‘Tattooing is my whole life’

Ben Yanok was a gallery artist with 20 years of art school under his belt when tattooing fell into his lap seven years ago.

“It’s fun and I’m always meeting different, new and interesting people,” said Yanok, an artist from Monticello, Minn.

His first tattoo at 18 was a personalized beer can on his shoulder. Now he was seven tattoos and 18 piercings.

“I regret nothing,” he said.

Becoming a tattoo artist isn’t what he expected, Yanok said. He tattoos all day and works on designs at night. Strangers approach him in public and pester him with questions, wondering if he can design a personalized tattoo and how much it will cost.

“It’s in escapable,” he said. “Tattooing is my whole life.”

But it has taken a physical toll on Yanok, and the 29-year-old has arthritis in his hands, wrists and arm.

His worst experience came when a man he was tattooing reached for his ringing cell phone, forcing Yanok to draw a three-inch black line across the man’s rib cage. The man admitted it was his mistake.

What they mean

Tim Puls, 27, of Toledo, Ohio, has too many tattoos to count, but each has a a story to tell.

During his marriage ceremony three years ago, he tattooed a wedding band with the letter “M” on his left ring finger. Wife Megan Puls has a similar tattoo, with a “T” for Tim.

The symbolism is in its permanency, he said.

When his grandfather Ray died in 2002, Puls’ spent $500 to tattoo his portrait onto his upper left arm in his honor.

“It’s basically like a memorial,” he said.

When his grandmother, Ester, died last year, Puls’ had doves, her favorite birds, tattooed in his inner upper left arm. The doves fly toward the portrait of his grandfather, to symbolize the two joining in heaven.

No. 30

Joe Schapini got his first tattoo when he was 18. After six years, he had 29. The 24-year-old from Chicago came to the event Saturday for his 30th tattoo. The skull-and-flame design with “Born to lose, out to win” written across it is “what my whole life is all about,” he said.

“I came to a tattoo convention. I might as well get one,” Schapini said.

The $500 tattoo will sprawl across his upper left arm and was expected to take four hours to complete.

How to get a tattoo you won’t regret

In order to avoid tattoo remorse, don’t act on impulse, said seven-year tattoo artist Ted Brown, 32, of Reedsburg, Wis. It’s important to spend time considering the design and where it will be permanently etched on your body, he said. Brown recommends researching the artist and the shop, and asking questions when you get there.

Have a design or basic idea of the tattoo when you walk into the tattoo parlor, he said.

Brown also recommends keeping an open mind.

“Know that some things are impossible to do,” he said.

Brown also warned against consuming alcohol or drugs the night before a tattoo appointment.

Anne Jungen can be reached at (608) 791-8224 or ajungen@lacrossetribune.com.

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