Shawn Barber's tattoo paintings

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Shawn Barber has a new series of paintings up at San Francisco's Shooting Gallery. Continuing his documentation of tattoo culture, this collection features portraits of tattooed individuals and also scenes from a tattoo studio. The exhibition, titled "Tattooed Portraits: Snapshots," can also be viewed online. BB pal Jess Hemerly interviewed Barber for 7×7:

7×7: I have no tattoos but I admire beautiful ink, and there's something about your paintings that makes me want to cover myself in tattoos. What draws you to ink as a subject?

Shawn Barber: The medium saturates everything that I do. Tattooing gives so much more than it takes. It allows an individual to acknowledge life with permanent markers. Getting tattooed is a leap of faith that reminds you of that exact time and place for the rest of your life.

"Shawn Barber Makes Us Want To Cover Ourselves in Tattoos" (7×7)

Shawn Barber: Tattooed Portraits (Shooting Gallery)