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| After graduating from University of Carleton in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Thomas attended the Aviation Academy in Buenos Aries. It was a short lived career, however, because he soon found out the friendly skies were none too amiable to those who wore... their hair long, earrings in their lobes, and ink under their skin. Feeling like he was trapped in a lifestyle that bore a scary resemblance to a holding pattern, Thomas made an emergency landing, hit the ground, and made a dash for the closest tattoo shop. He decided that tattooing would allow him to lead a more congenial lifestyle. |
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| "Up at the crack of noon, hustling women, meeting interesting people, and downing a beer or two along the way seemed a much more civilized way to live my life." After attending Dave Yurkew's convention in the late '70s and later Poulous' in Denver, it all came together for Thomas. He then started to hunt down the best in the business - Don Nolan, Ed Hardy, Cliff Raven, for example - picking their brains while getting tattooed. And prior to Greg Irons death in Bangkok, Tom's skills were nurtured with him in Seattle. His sleeves were finished by Greg, Ken Cameron, and Dave Shore. Dave, who initiated the tattoo renaissance in Canada, and Zeke Owens became his mentors. And since Thomas was also fascinated by Oriental-style ink, he traveled to Japan for a taste of traditional hand tattooing. While searching for Oguri, Thomas found the late Mitsuaki Owada (Hori Kin) and through him he met Yoshito Nakano (Horiyoshi lll). It was during these trips to Japan that he perfected his skills in Traditional Japanese-style tattooing. (More on Thomas and his early meeting with Horiyoshi III) | |
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The personal ink he collected from Hori Kin and Horiyoshi was done with hand tools. "Yes it hurts," Thomas says, "but with 46 needle shaders attached to the tool it goes a lot quicker." And, as with any tattoo done by a gifted artist who has mastered the technical aspects of his chosen medium, the end result is worth it. Finally, Paul Jeffries was chosen to incorporate Thomas' existing ink into a traditional Japanese Kimono in sumi - a soft traditional look not affected by the sun. Like most people who have a lot of tattoos, Thomas realizes that skin is not a renewable resource. And the pay-off for his thoughtful approach is a collected body of work that fits him like a second skin, modern masterpieces from masters of the art of Tattoo. (Gallery of Tom's personal ink) |
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From the
early days Tom had an interest in pigment composition and particle
size and their reaction to the body. He was instrumental in determining
the toxicity of many pigments. And during the last few years Tom,
whose home base is 620 Davie Street, Vancouver, British Columbia,
has become a much sought after theatrical tattoo artist, working on
various movie and television projects including "The Crying Freeman," a Japanese
thriller featuring numerous yakusa with full backpieces and body suits. Thomas Lockhart is a man who knows what he wants and isn't afraid to reach out and grab it. His love of freedom and sense of adventure is evident in the tattoos he has chosen to decorate his body. He refuses to compromise or settle for second best and it shows in the artists he has chosen to decorate his body. Contact Tom via e-mail at tlockhart@westcoasttattoo.com - but please don't ask for any designs or for the downloading of flash, thanks.
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| Phone: 604-308-1924 | |
