tattoo

Ink. It’s not just for tattooing. Its use in art dates back to cave drawings and ancient Egypt around 2500 BCE. On Oct. 3, the Alliance for the Arts will celebrate its re-opening with “I Ink, Therefore I Am,” a show that celebrates the long history of ink as a medium.

On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian covered Fort Myers Beach with more than 18 feet of wind-driven surge and wave action. In the process, it obliterated Paradise Tattoo’s studio. Rather than give up or relocate, founder Dawn Webb and her coterie of close-knit artists - Sam Taylor, Alia Alexander, Colin Orion and Victoria Casazza - rebuilt and reopened. Through perseverance and an unyielding passion for their craft, Webb and company restored more than a studio. They reignited their creative spirit.

Local artist Savannah Leslie has been tattooing for nearly 20 years. Over that span, she’s developed her own unique niche. Her regular clients are evenly divided between men and women. But there is one area that caters primarily to females, and that's her decades old project, Scars Transformed.

Andy Howl has been tattooing since 2002. He’s seen lots of changes in the industry. Aside from upgrades in tattoo technology, Howl says the biggest change in the industry is the proliferation of tattoo styles.