The origins of some of today's hottest tattoo tops have roots you might not expect. Some kids sell lemonade on the corners of their front yards. Not Don Ed Hardy. He perched on a milk crate with a handful of eye pencils and sold "tattoos" (of the washable kind) to neighborhood kids. Today, Ed Hardy is known as one of the great pioneers of the tattoo as art. Further, his work specifically is credited with helping raise the status of the tattoo culture to where it is today. In the days of Ed Hardy's youth, Western tattoos consisted of a single isolated image, and were found, by and large, exclusively on the upper arms of drunken sailors. Japanese traditions, on the other hand, featured complicated patterns and images which were intertwined. These patterns could cover an enormous expanse of skin, like a full back or an entire torso. But this kind of tattooing was not commonly practiced in the United States of the early 1950s. Hardy, who first became familiar with Japanese artistry when his overseas father send back books, clothing and artifacts, received a BFA in printmaking from the San Francisco Art Institute. Though he was accepted at Yale for an MFA, he decided instead to become a full-time tattoo artist. In 1973, he became the first non-Asian accepted as an apprentice to the great Japanese master, Horihide. Today, Ed Hardy's work can be found gracing the walls of international galleries, the skins of famous celebrities, and now on an ever-widening line of clothing and accessories which includes hats, hoodies, jackets, and of course, tattoo tops. Ed Hardy's clothing line and distinct tattoo tops can be seen on stars from Dennis Quaid to Carmen Elektra, and from Heidi Klum to Penny Marshall. |
