LIFESTYLES
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Hughes’ own favorite tattoo is of this guy, Tom Waits, inarguably one of the coolest cats on the planet. Seriously. Do. Not. Argue.
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BY MORGAN FECTO
ethesda Tattoo owner James Hughes
learned what passion was before learning he would have it for tattooing. “It was Van Halen’s first album. It hit me like a lightning bolt,” says Hughes over the buzz of needles and Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” in his Woodmont Avenue shop. “So I said to myself, ‘I want to be an artist but I don’t know what I want to do. I want something to hit me the way music hit me, and then I’ll know it’s real.’” In the late ’80s, Hughes had his second Van Halen moment. In Navy boot camp, he got his first tattoo of a skull he’d drawn with bat wings and fire, something he now says represents his youth. Once the needles hit the skin, everything Hughes thought about tattoos got a fresh coat of ink. “Tattooing was just sort of the answer. It was like, ‘I can do tattoos and express myself artistically, make a living and be able to do what I want to do on my terms,’” Hughes says. “I’d always been drawing and I’d always loved tattooing, but where I grew up in California, it was just gangs, bikers and really seedy characters with tattoos.”
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Splurge “Whatever it ends up costing, I tell people, ‘It’s pennies a day.’ You’re going to have that on your body forever,” Hughes says. “Get the tattoo that you want; don’t get the tattoo you can afford.”
The inside of Bethesda Tattoo is modest (save for the occasional skull on the walls), open and bright. The company moved to this location in December to encourage camaraderie among artists and clients with its salon-style open floor. “It adds to the experience of getting a tattoo,” Hughes says. “Everyone in the room is doing something they love, and everyone is getting something done that they love to get done. It’s fun to share our stories.” He says he has the best piercer, cover-up tattooers and artists. He’s a returning tattoo artist at the D.C. Tattoo Expo, and he’s been recognized by Washington City Paper’s “Best of D.C.” roundup, but Hughes tattoos for the love of art and people rather than for recognition. He also tattoos for the “punk-rock skater kid” that lives just under his skin — the boy who loves drawing skulls with bat wings, and Van Halen. “So I didn’t want to be a rock star,” Hughes says. “I got my first tattoo and that was it. It had everything I wanted in life.”
Communicate, consult Hughes says the client-tattooer bond is forged on creating a tattoo concept that satisfies the client’s desires and the tattooer’s artistic visiwon. For this to work, clients need to give their tattoo artist enough information about their hopes for the finished work. “You want to get up every day and look at your tattoo and go, ‘Yes! I love it!’ That’s the goal, and that’s what I urge regardless of where they get tattooed or who they get tattooed by,” Hughes says. Go black and gray Black and gray, a style of tattooing that uses only shades of black ink, is the style for you if you want your tattoo to last, Hughes says. “It can capture a lot of great gradients and smooth tones from dark to light,” he says. “It just ages well. It looks cool. It even ages well if it’s 20 years old.” Get more tips, and the complete interview, at ZagMagazine.com.
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TAT T O O F R O M J A M E S H U G H E S ; T O M WA I T S : I S T O C K . C O M / E D S T O C K
In the ’80s, Hughes saw tattooing evolve from a low-brow discipline to a nuanced art form. “Everything made a huge shift from analog to digital, and so people were creating using a computer. I think there were a lot of people my age who were like, ‘No, I want to use my hands and dictate my own innovation,’” Hughes says. Early in his career, Hughes worked with Baltimore tattoo legend Vinnie Myers, and relished the opportunity to get tattooed by artists he admired. “Jeez, that’s almost 20 years old. It’s hard for me to say that,” Hughes says, pointing to his favorite tattoo. It’s a blue-and-black portrait of singersongwriter Tom Waits on his inner arm. “I went to get tattooed by this guy named Tin-Tin from Paris. He’s really well known around the world for portrait work. It was one of those experiences where you walk away a better person.”
Do your homework Hughes says researching artists, shops and styles is the first step. “It’s really good to look at people’s portfolios and what other people have to say about their experiences online... .If you see a tattoo you like, you should pursue it. If you see a body of work that you like, then you go meet up with them and talk to them, and if you get along, then pursue it.”