Tattoo convention brings 'impressive' ink masters to Winnipeg

CBC

14 hours ago

Tattoo artists from across the country and around the world descended on the city over the weekend for the annual Winnipeg Tattoo Convention.
The event, now in its seventh year, ran Friday to Sunday at Red River Exhibition Park and featured more than 250 tattoo artists from all corners of the globe.
Australian-based tattoo artist Ryan Ussher, who was in Winnipeg for the first time, said the level of talent and the crowd response caught him off guard.
"There's a really good sort of crowd that this place has brought in, but also all the artists from Winnipeg and beyond, it's an excellent melting pot of excellent, well-curated artists," he said,
"Winnipeg doesn't strike me as the kind of place that would drag all of these people to it — you'd expect it in somewhere like Toronto or Vancouver or Montreal. So it's awesome to come to a place like this, and an event like this is happening.
"It's not going to be the last time I come here, that's for sure."
Tatiana Stanjeck, who tattoos at a parlour in Black Diamond, Alta., was equally impressed.
"It's amazing. It's so cool to have access to some of the best artists in all of Canada and in the world," Stanjeck said.
One of the thrills of being a tattoo artist, Stanjeck said, is having people trust her with work that will be on their bodies for the rest of their lives.
"I think it's the highest honour as an artist to have your work immortalized on someone's body. There's something sacred about that."
Cory Claussen, who tattoos at a parlour in South Dakota said the convention and the work that he saw over the weekend has left him energized.
"This is just a really cool convention," Claussen said. "It's impressive and you come home inspired with an artistic spark to get back to work."