Born and raised on the northwest side of Milwaukee, Shannon Walton, age 32, owns and operates Color Bomb Tattoo, LLC. Shannon first fell in love with the art of tattooing at age 16 after watching his big brother get his first piece done. From that moment on Shannon began researching the tattoo industry. He collected magazines and began using some of the artwork seen there as ideas to paint leather jackets for friends. Mostly to earn cigarette money he admits, but it was great practice for things to come.
Years later at age 18, despite passing out cold when receiving his first tattoo by Menomonee Falls artist Jon Decaire, Shannon knew being a tattoo artist is what he wanted. While initially his mother was a bit concerned and worried about her son’s career choice (she was concerned because of certain diseases risks associated with tattoos and believed it would send her boy down the long road to hell) she has since become very supportive and is proud of her son’s accomplishments. Truth is his mother now has four tattoos of her own!
Shannon is a self-taught artist. Following high school Shannon took a few graphic art classes but found the classroom too confining artistically and knew in the end he wouldn’t be happy being an artist required to sit in a cubical with a shirt and tie on all day. So he spent the next couple of years tattooing out of his house, mostly on himself and close friends, trying to learn what he could. Shannon admits this IS NOT the best way to begin your tattooing career and that you should seek out a formal apprenticeship instead of trying to “scratch” your way to the top. Scratching is not only (often) unsightly but is also dangerous. For more information on this practice and its risks check out Hepatitis For Sale! by Jennifer Hoffman.
Every once in awhile Shannon will run into an old friend who let him “practice” on them and those friends are still quite happy with the early work Shannon did, refusing to let him “fix it” or touch it up. I guess that’s a good sign.
Shannon’s art has been shaped by tattoo culture and is most influenced by tattoo artists Bob Tyrell out of Michigan and Milwaukee’s own Dan Hazelton. He also recently attended a seminar in Columbus Ohio and was introduced to the art of Joe Capobianco, saying, ‘it was really awesome and I learned a lot.’ Other artists he respects and finds inspiration from are Tony Ciavarro, William Webb, and of course Paul Booth. Shannon prefers to do work that is more "new school". Work styled with bold colors and wide lines but still has fine detail. Skulls and demons tend to be his favorite requests but he admits being versatile and says, “being able to work in almost any style is best”. Being an owner of, or an artist working in, a street shop demands that versatility. Over the years he has had art published in various publications including, Tattoo Savage, Intenze Ink, and Crave. He has also won trophies in various classes at tattoo conventions.
When it comes to what Shannon will or will not tattoo the line is drawn at racial/hate tattoos or anything gang affiliated. He also has rules against giving facial tattoos. In that he is not alone and this seems to be a choice many tattoo artists make knowing that it will be a huge hurdle, something that will 100% affect the person’s ability to find a “real” job. The only exceptions are for those in the industry. Other than these few things Shannon will tattoo just about anything anywhere after a short consultation outlining the pros and cons of your choice. To prove to you he will tattoo just about anywhere...“the worst tattoo I had to do was a dream catcher on my x-mother in law's crotch...it was a dream catcher...I think I did it wrong cuz I’m still having nightmares...”
After almost a decade in the industry, Shannon still enjoys what he does and doesn’t think of it as a “job”. Though, as with any profession, there are a few down-sides to the work. The worse being sore wrists and back aches and although the stereotypes associated with tattoos have shifted somewhat over the years Shannon is still annoyed that most tattoo artists aren’t respected in the mainstream business community and aren’t typically considered professionals.
As a shop owner Shannon has seen many artists come and go but feels the tattoo scene in Milwaukee has exploded over the last few years with many local artists putting out killer art. Speaking of which, his fiancé, Kala Conway, is just finishing up her apprenticeship at Color Bomb and while Shannon may be partial, he thinks she is a natural and will be one of the best in the industry within a few years.
While Shannon acknowledges that there is certain competitiveness between local shops and artists he doesn’t care to take part in the petty stuff. He would rather let his work speak for him saying, “Bad news travels fast and anyone doing sub par work will weed themselves out through time”. If you are considering entering the tattoo industry as an artist Shannon’s advice is to “draw a lot and then when you’re done drawing draw some more…and listen to your mentor and learn as much as you can. You never stop learning in this business.”
He also recommends that anyone getting licensed for tattooing should have to, at the very least, pass a blood borne pathogens test.
Advice to prospective clients? Tattoos are not something you should shop around for when it comes to price, he suggests you take time to meet with your potential artist prior to setting an appointment to check out their work and see if their style and personality match that of the work you want done. He also says, “Stay the hell out of a tanning booths!”
Outside of tattooing Shannon loves horror movies, painting, and spending time with his kids and fiancé. Shannon would like to say thanks to his kids for being understanding about his long hours, to Kala for being supportive and tolerating his crabbiness after a long day and to Jodi for the killer massages for his aching back.
Color Bomb Tattoo LLC is located at 8030 North 76th Street in Milwaukee.
Shannon works: Monday thru Tuesday 12-9pm and Wednesday thru Saturday 12-9pm.
Appointments are great but walk-ins are always welcome on a first come first serve basis.
Phone: 414-371-2525
http://www.myspace.com/blacklotustattoo