[doch]

I'm looking for suggestions for a new artist to try out. I've been to a few different people and have mixed feelings about all of them.


The 2 notables:

James Tex - I won't mention the shop as he was at a different shop when he worked on me than what he is now (Calgary)- nice work (except that it faded to the point that you can see bare skin in several spots), bad attitude. When asked to renew/touch up a a piece that he did for me 10 years ago, he replied with "I'm not taking on any new clients right now." New client? For a touch up on YOUR work? Right. Now I'm stuck trying to find an artist that will touch somebody else's work.

Anthony Orsatti - New World Samurai (Canmore) - Amazing! Fantastic work, and unbelievably fast. So fast that you wouldn't believe it until he tattooed you (or sombody else, and you witness it). My only issue with Anthony is that he's a 9 hour drive away from me. This is less than convenient. I'm booking an appointment with him now to add some colour and touch ups on my full back piece (into it for 8 hours so far... not much left), but since he's so far away I'd like to find somebody closer, ie Edmonton.

Anyways, looking for suggestions and recommendations. Knowing that there are artists out there that are as fast as Anthony, I have a hard time swallowing the pill that another artist would take up to 4 times as long for the same piece. At $150+/hour, that adds up in a big hurry.

Ideal replies to this would include a picture of the tattoo, and number of hours that you're into it for. Large pieces (sleeves and rib cages especially) are what I'm interested in, but I love tattoos, so feel free to post them all!!