Art Swaps, Pirate Ships, and The Talented Chris De Armas

[ Me and my Chris De Armis original water color. ]

I'm no longer an art swapping virgin! The deed took place the other day at American Vintage Tattoo in Orange, around 5:30, with a nice young man named Chris De Armis. I've known Chris long before he was a tattoo artist at American Vintage - since way back in our days at San Clemente High when I was the new girl from Kentucky and he was the greaser kid who worked on cars. He was the only person to come to my very first art show, and now he is the first person I've ever done an art swap with. Poetic, isn't it? 

[ The talented Chris De Armis of American Vintage Tattoo with my drawing in tow. Notice his freshly tattooed neck courtesy of Jack. ]

Now that I've got a taste for the it, I'm going to be an art-swapping whore. It was just like the good ole' days of bartering, except instead of trading a pig for a bushel of wheat, we traded one beautiful piece of art for another. I will have to admit, however, that I made out like a bandit on this deal. I showed up with my sketch (a gold ink on black paper sketch of boxer Sugar Ray Robinson in his prime knocking the lights out of some poor sap - see above), a nice sketch to be sure, but nothing like the masterpiece Chris showed up with: an 11x17 watercolor of a salty, old, classic tattoo style pirate ship in an oval rope frame. (Check it out at the very top.) I think I'm going to have to draw him something else up to even out the trade. Next time you're in Orange swing in to the shop on Katella and say hi to him, Neil and the rest of the fellas. They're all sweeter than grandmas apple pie, and a talented group of S.O.B.s to top it off.

- Amy
Listening to: Lorretta Lynn and Conway Twitty's "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man."