Luke Wessman is an American

tattoo artist A tattoo artist (also tattooer or tattooist) is an individual who applies permanent decorative tattoos, often in an established business called a "tattoo shop", "tattoo studio" or "tattoo parlour". Tattoo artists usually learn their craft via an ...

and

designer A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exp ...

.Lauren Nostro
“Interview: Luke Wessman Talks Tattoo Culture, TLC's NY Ink, and Tattooing Rappers,”
''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'', October 16, 2012. He was featured on the

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

reality shows ''

Miami Ink ''Miami Ink'' was an American reality show that ran on TLC from 2005–2008 and follows the events that took place at a tattoo shop in Miami Beach, Florida. The show led to several spin-offs, including the shows ''LA Ink'', ''London Ink'', ''N ...

'' and ''

NY Ink ''NY Ink'' is an American reality documentary television series that debuted June 2, 2011 on TLC. TLC renewed the series for a second season in August 2011, also noting that the series' first season averaged 1.3 million viewers per episode. Film ...

''.“Luke Wessman of Miami Ink and NY Ink on His New Tattoo Speakeasy, The Summertown Inn,”
''

OC Weekly ''OC Weekly'' was a free alternative weekly paper distributed in Orange County and Long Beach, California. OC Weekly was founded in September 1995 by Will Swaim, who acted as editor and publisher until 2007. The paper was distributed at coffee ...

'', February 9, 2015.“‘Ink Master' contestants are challenged in ‘Tag Team Tatt’ on Spike,”

Examiner.com Examiner.com was an American news website based in Denver, Colorado, that operated using a network of " pro-am contributors"' for content. It had various local editions with contributors posting city-based items tailored to 238 markets throughou ...

, April 29, 2014.

Early life

Wessman was born on a communal farm in Tennessee where his parents had been living and working as part of a hippie community. Shortly after he was born, his family hitchhiked across America and settled in

Oceanside, California Oceanside is a city on the South Coast (California), South Coast of California, located in San Diego County, California, San Diego County. The city had a population of 167,086 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The city is a popular ...

, where Luke grew up.“Tattoo Star Luke Wessman on The Lost Art of the Gentleman & His Favorite Ink,”style.com
September 18, 2014.

Career

Wessman received his first tattoo when he was sixteen-years-old from a family friend tattooing out of his house.“Artists: Luke Wessman,”
'' Inked'', retrieved July 25, 2015. He continued to acquire tattoos and eventually befriended a group of tattooers who had opened a shop named About Face Tattoo. It was the only shop in town because tattooing had been outlawed in San Diego County in the decades prior. Wessman began to learn a variety of tattoo styles at the shop, where the clientele included sailors, pimps, and prostitutes. One of the About Face Tattoo artists, Milford Barnes, moved to Lucky's Tattoo Parlor, a well-known shop in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

, CA, owned and operated by Dave Gibson, and Wessman followed him there to begin an unofficial apprenticeship. At the time, Wessman was working as an electrician. He would work as an electrician in the morning and spend his evenings apprenticing at the tattoo shop. Eventually, a spot/opportunity became available and he began tattooing full-time. At age 21, Wessman bought Lucky's Tattoo Parlor, which he owned and operated for ten years with fellow tattoo artist Shane Modica. From 2005 to 2010, Wessman worked at Love Hate Tattoo and was featured on the

reality TV show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

''. After the show ended, Wessman spent some time traveling and working in Scotland, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, and Germany. In 2010, Wessman moved to New York City to help

Ami James Ami James ( he, עמי ג'יימס; born 6 April 1972) is an Israeli-American tattoo artist, television personality and entrepreneur. Early life James was born in the Egyptian city of Sharm El Sheikh (then occupied by Israel). His American-bor ...

open the Wooster Street Social Club. The shop and its crew, including Wessman, were the focus of the

reality TV show ''

''. Wessman did the first tattoo at the shop. “NY-Ink,”WoosterSocial.com
retrieved August 2, 2015. In 2014, he was a guest judge on Spike TV's ''

Ink Master ''Ink Master'' is an American reality competition television series that originally aired on Paramount Network (formerly called Spike), premiering on January 17, 2012. The show features tattoo artists who compete in various challenges assessing th ...

''. He has written for '' Inked'',“An Introduction to ‘The Gentlemen’s Voice’,”
'' Inked'', February 17, 2015. was featured on the cover of ''Freshly Inked'', and has been profiled in several style magazines and websites, including '' GQ'', ''The Coveteur'', ''Bound by Ink'', and Style.com, among others. In 2014, Wessman designed a limited-edition postcard featuring the phrase #govote for HeadCount, a nonpartisan organization that promotes participation in democracy. The postcards were distributed at music concerts, including

Jay Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

and

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

's “On the Run” tour.“On The Run! Tattoo Artist Luke Wessman & HeadCount Team With Beyonce & Jay Z’s Tour To ‘Get The Vote Out’ (DETAILS),”GlobalGrind.com
June 24, 2014.“Jay Z and Beyonce fans can register to vote before D-FW show,”
''

The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galvesto ...

'', July 16, 2014.“#GoVote with Luke Wessman,”
'' Inked'', November 3, 2014. In 2015, Wessman opened The Summertown Inn, a private tattoo studio in an undisclosed location in

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

. It's named after the town in Tennessee where he was born, and is fashioned after a

speakeasy A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an illicit establishment that sells alcoholic beverages, or a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies. Speakeasy bars came into prominence in the United States d ...

. There's no sign out front and clients come on a referral basis.“OC's Freemasons Are Staging a Comeback, Thanks to Millennials,”
''

'', July 22, 2015. Wessman is also a Master Freemason and has been active in

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

for over 5 years.

Tattoo Style

Wessman's style has been described as "Gangster Traditional," which is the merging of two distinct styles. The "gangster" style was influenced by the tattoos characteristic of the street culture he grew up around in Oceanside – Old English and block letters, Catholic imagery, black and gray coloring, etc. The "traditional" style stems from his apprenticeship at Lucky's Tattoo Parlor where tattoos closely resemble

Sailor Jerry Norman Keith Collins (January 14, 1911 – June 12, 1973), known popularly as Sailor Jerry, was a prominent American tattoo artist in Hawaii who was well known for his sailor tattoos. Biography Norman Keith Collins was born on January 14, 1911 ...

inspired style designs, which favor bold outlines, deep black shading, and images often associated with sailors, bikers and outlaw culture. Wessman avoids doing tattoos that are photo realistic or tribal. He prefers "tattoos that look like tattoos – not paintings or other styles and mediums of art." He also uses discretion when tattooing faces, hands or necks, and will only do so if the customer is a highly covered tattoo collector.“Luke Wessman,”TheCoveteur.com
retrieved July 25, 2015. He has tattooed dozens of celebrities, including

Dave Navarro David Michael Navarro (born June 7, 1967) is an American guitarist. He is best known as a member of the rock band Jane's Addiction, with whom he has recorded four studio albums. Between 1993 and 1998, Navarro was the guitarist of the Red Hot Ch ...

CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known for ...

Matt Holliday Matthew Thomas Holliday (born January 15, 1980) is an American professional baseball coach and former left fielder who is the bench coach for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB from 2004 to 2018 for the Col ...

, and

Silkk Tha Shocker Vyshonn King Miller (born June 18, 1975), better known by his stage name Silkk the Shocker, is an American rapper and actor. He originally went under the stage name Silkk, but later adopted Silkk the Shocker after the release of his first album ...

, among others.“About,”LukeWessman.com
retrieved August 2, 2015. Wessman himself has over 50 tattoos done by over 30 different artists.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wessman, Luke Living people American tattoo artists People from Summertown, Tennessee Artists from Los Angeles Year of birth missing (living people)