Publisher's Synopsis
"For every tattooist, the human body becomes a blank canvas. Instead of paper or velum, tattooists create their images on skin. Instead of brushes and pens, tattooists' tools include needles and ink. For some tattooists, however, the analogy of flesh to canvas, needle to brush is not quite sufficient. The human body is not flat, so the idea of the flesh as a canvas fails to reflect the three-dimensional component of creating an image on a human body. Some tattooists engage with the body's natural contours, utilizing the form and motion inherent in our body's landscape to enhance the art, and seeking ways to use the art to enhance the form as well. Instead of working simply as a painter adorning the flesh canvas, these tattooists combine elements of sculpture, architecture, and other three-dimensional design, enhancing the body's natural ebbs and flows with the addition of tattooed images. Among the artists who incorporate the human form into their work, Shannon Schober is one of the most committed to this approach." "In both his photography and his paintings, the same themes pervade as are present in his tattoo work: female forms, bold colors cut with black, and nature's beauty." -From the 2009 Wolfgang Publications book, Tattoo: Behind the Needle: Chapter 5 Shannon Schober-Tattoo as Sculpture
