James
Hughes grew up in Modesto, California before joining the Navy right
out of high school. Upon getting his first tattoo fresh out of boot
camp, he discovered the medium to which he wanted to dedicate his
life. When his active duty was up, James stayed in Maryland, hoping
to obtain a fulfilling apprenticeship at a reputable shop. His enthusiasm
was not met with open arms; it was going to be a lot of hard work
and dedication to be able break into the tattoo business.
 Don’t
let it be said that James hasn't paid his dues. While working several
jobs during the week to pay bills, he worked for free at a poorly
ran tattoo shop on the weekends—running errands, mopping,
cleaning toilets—doing the jobs that everyone else at the
shop was beyond. In his time at this particular shop, he learned
more about what NOT to do. That said, James began tattooing friends
and acquaintances out of his house to begin shaping his skills as
a tattooer. Then one day, James received a call from another up-and-coming
tattooer who told him about an opening at a shop at which he was
working in Silver Spring called Capitol Tattoo—his first real
job tattooing.
Working
in a fast-paced “street shop” with artists such as Seth
Ciferri, Matt
Rinks, and Brady Duncan really taught James how to work proficiently.
Still, quality came in second to quantity. After almost four years
at Capitol, he was urged by the same friend who introduced him to
that job to go work for none other than Vinnie Myers in Baltimore,
Maryland. Little Vinnie’s not only provided a talented and experienced
staff, but working there also provided James the opportunity to travel
all over the United States and Europe, working at the side of one
of the finest tattoo artists, nationally. However, after four more
years at Vinnie’s, he was still unable in a lot of ways to escape
the “street shop” mentality.
James
left Vinnie’s in hopes of building a more “custom”
clientele and to seek knowledge and guidance from Tom Beasley, Owner
and Proprietor of Dragon
Moon Tattoo Studio in Glen Burnie, Maryland. Dragon Moon maintains
an impeccable reputation built on 25 years of experience in the
tattoo industry. During his two years at Dragon Moon, James learned
the graces of customer service and individual attention. He was
able to hone his skills as an artist and, at the same time, garner
the confidence to take a more independent approach to his career.
Looking
for a breath of fresh air, James traded the suburbs of Glen Burnie
for the big city of Washington D.C., home of great music and even
greater people. James went to work for Fatty's
Custom Tattooz. The good friends and vast clientle made the
experience at Fattys memorable. But opportunity knocked on his door
once again...
Receiving
a good referral from friend and renound artist Matt Rinks. Jeff
Carr, Owner of Inkers Tattoo in Rockville, MD called James offering
the chance of a life time, operating a brand new studio located
in the heart of downtown Bethesda. After minor deliberation, James
gladly accepted the opportunity. Armed with will and determination,
James and his apprentice, Lee
dove head first into the creation of Bethesda Tattoo Company.
Now,
after establishing the BTC staff. We will be premiering Bethesda
Tattoo Company at the beginning of 2005.
|
