AKRON, Ohio — Akron's John S. Knight Center is all abuzz. The 2022 Rubber City Tattoo Invitational is in town, finally.
"We started out on this project in 2019, but COVID shut us down," event co-organizer Tony Urbanek says.
Urbanek is joined by the other co-organizer, Elizabeth Clay. Over 200 talented tattoo artists are hard at work.
"There's everything from traditional tattoos, to black and gray, to color, to portraits," explains Clay.
And there's more!
It's Elvis! Where else can you sing along with "The King" while getting inked?
Akron tattoo artist Rich Griggs is making new friends and catching up with former colleagues.
"It's good to see everybody grow and expand and move on," he says. "We all get to come together at times like this and it's kind of like a family reunion a little bit."
The talent on display in these aisles is truly amazing. Applying ink to human skin with a needle takes a great eye and steady hand.
Just ask Big Daddy Jaz. He's here from from Virginia and takes a lot of pride in helping others express themselves through his hand.
"Yes, very proud," Big Daddy Jaz tells us. "They came to me, so they made that right choice, you know? That I give people options, you know what I mean?"
There are a lot of options here at the Akron Tattoo Invitational and I think I may have found the perfect tattoo for our own Russ Mitchell. That is one beautiful anchor!
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