How do you find success in a variety of art careers? Are there skills and knowledge that overlap between widely different art careers? What was it like in freelance commercial illustration before the resources of the internet? What tools from that era can artists use today? When is it beneficial to hire an agent? How do you transition from illustration to fine art? How do you transition from fine art to tattooing? How does being a successful independent artist translate into owning a brick and mortar business

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This week we are talking to

Shawn Barber

“I've been documenting tattoo culture and contemporary tattoo history with a series of paintings, The Tattooed Portraits Series.

I started painting tattooed artists in 2005, obsessively documenting the men and women that have pioneered the genre of contemporary tattoo art and the history of modern tattooing. My dedication and enthusiasm for the art form gradually opened doors for me to learn the craft from some of the greatest tattoo artists in the world. My life is consumed with tattooing, the art of tattoo and documentation of tattooing through painting works on this subject. Presently, over four hundred works have been made in this series. “

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Shawn earned his B.F.A from Ringling College of Art in 1999 and A.A.S. from Cazenovia College in 1997. His paintings are held in private collections throughout the United States, Canada, Asia, Europe and Australia. His paintings have been exhibited in diverse solo and group venues including: Somerset House Museum, London, UK; Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Halle Saint Pierre Museum, Paris; Pinnacles Gallery, Queensland, Australia; Mesa Contemporary Arts Center, Mesa, AZ; Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach, CA; Artspace, Shreveport, LA; Joshua Liner Gallery, NYC, NY; Southern Illinois University Museum, Carbondale, IL; and the University of Houston, Houston, TX.

Among his extensive achievements, he has taught drawing, painting and the business of art for 20 years at various art schools throughout the country. After years of documenting the art of tattoo, it was a logical progression to pick up the tattoo machine and add tattooist to his resume.

In 2009, Shawn and his girlfriend Kim Saigh, opened Memoir Tattoo in Los Angeles, CA. His most recent fine art book, 'Memoir : The Tattooed Portraits Series' a 256 page hardcover visual tome, published by Last Gasp Books, was released in July 2012.

website - http://www.sdbarber.com

tattoo shop - https://www.memoirtattoo.com

IG - http://www.instagram.com/shawndbarber

Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/shawndbarber

http://www.memoircollective.com

Other points of interest from our conversation:

The book that Shawn credits with having the greatest positive influence on his effort to develop a healthy balance in his professional life: