Black Thorn Gallery

Black Thorn Gallery is a completely custom studio out of Mechanicsburg, PA. Home to Ryan Spahr a neo-traditional genius, and Landon Lewis a bold traditional tattooist. 1. How and when did you get started tattooing? (RYAN)Tattooing was never something I set out to do; it happened more or less out of a need for a job. I started tattooing in 2000 after a failed stint at an Art Institute. I dropped out and needed employment. My sister was getting some work done at a local shop and overheard the owner talk about how he wanted to bring on a new artist. She came home, told me about, I meet with him, had a portfolio review, and the rest is history. It started off as a necessity, but over the years, it's definitely turned into a love.

(LANDON): when I was in high school my brother and I bought a sweet tat kit off eBay. I messed around tattooing myself and a few friends for a few months, and that was pretty horrible. I ended up landing an apprenticeship and took it from there.

2. What artist do you look up to?

(RYAN)I'm not gonna list any names. I look up to the same artists that everyone looks up too.

(LANDON) there's too many to name.

3. What influences and inspires your work?

(RYAN)I'm back in school now working on a Fine Arts degree, and I'd say a lot of non-tattoo artists really peak my interest. I think too many tattooers look only to other artists in the industry for inspiration. There are so many people out there doing amazing things that aren't tattoos. I guess what I'm trying to say, is people should be going to museums rather than looking through the latest issue of some tattoo magazine. And I guess it's fair to say all the cinema I watch influences my work a good bit. I also read a fair amount. Mostly it's books on socio-political theory, comparative religion, and metaphysics. I'm not sure how yet, but I'd like to start trying to incorporate some of that stuff into my work. Oh, and tablecloths. Lots on inspiration from tablecloths. I've seen some of the coolest artwork on tablecloths. Keep your eyes alert the next time you sit down to eat at your Grandma's house.

(LANDON) I’ve been trying to figure that out....seeing a lot of the tattoos being done in the area really pushes me to be a better tattooer, because a lot of it is complete crap and I want to give people good tattoos. I’ve been trying to travel as much as possible lately, and meeting other tattooers is really pushing me. I’ve also been taking my portfolio when I get tattooed to get critiqued...which is extremely nerve wracking. All of that pushes me to do good tattoos. On the art end, I look at a lot of vintage tattoo pictures and flash. That kind of stuff is awesome, and it just makes me want to draw.

4. Tell us about your shop Black Thorn Gallery

(RYAN) It's set up like a collective. We're all owner's (Ryan, Landon, Tim), and we all help to run it. There's no Fuhrer barking orders at us from on high. That was a big thing when we started it. We also wanted to focus more on the artsy fartsy end of tattoos. The front is set up like a gallery, with very minimal flash. We really push the whole custom tattoo thing. The studio is littered with art everywhere. Our collection is pretty vast. Having all the art on the walls, I think, helps to put the customer in the mindset of getting something unique and original. We have monthly art exhibits where we feature various artists’ work. Some tattoo, some don't.

(LANDON) the shop is awesome. We’re mostly custom, which is cool, but has its downfalls. The studio is laid out in a weird way which kind of sets us apart from how other shops in the area look. For the area, we're pretty unique; as far as the shop itself, and our work.

5. I understand you guys hold a Sailor Jerry Day once a year, tell me about that.

(RYAN)Sailor Jerry tattoos, all day 12pm-12am, half price. Food and drink. Good times.

(LANDON) sailor jerry day was awesome. I stole the idea from our friend at wild zero studios in Morgantown WV, and we had them out to tattoo when we did it. we had around 100 pages of sailor jerry flash (all pre priced), and tattooed all day. We were expecting a few people to come in, but it was ridiculous. I think we did around 35 decent sized tattoos, and we were turning people away by like 6pm. we'll be making that an annual event for sure.

6. Anything else you would like to say?

Yeah, come get tattooed by us.

Shop Webpage: http://www.blackthorngallery.com/

Ryan Myspace: www.myspace.com/failsafeartistry

Landon Myspace: www.myspace.com/tattoosbylandon