Paul Booth. The artist of darkness.
Legendary tattoo artist and absolute artist. Paul Booth is a tattoo artist, sculptor, painter, filmmaker and musician. However, all his work remains consistent, maintaining a dark, psychedelic style. Why did he become interested in the TattooMoney project and in what sphere will he create?
Paul Booth has been tattooing since 1988. His adventure began a year earlier, in 1987, in New Jersey, USA, when he got himself his first tattoo in a studio. He immediately realized that this was the artistic path he wanted to follow. After three months of apprenticeship, he did his first tattoo. It was not a conceptual tattoo right away, because the standard at that time was copying designs chosen by clients from a catalog. The beginnings of his tattooing path are treated as a foundation that has shaped him as an artist. Booth was taught the art of tattooing by Ernie White, and he was then inspired by such legends as Greg Irons and Cliff Raven. Through these tattoo artists, he also began to create individual designs.
Paul was interested in horror and science fiction themes from an early age, and this is reflected in his work. Discouraged by cookie cutter designs, he realized that dark, demonic concepts were what the tattoo world lacked at the time. Driven by his vision, he began to create his own large, dark designs that attracted a great deal of interest at conventions and made him recognizable.
Throughout 15 years he was only focused on developing his tattooing skills. In the early years, he worked with airbrush as well, what kept him open to more than one kind of art. After many years, he also expanded his artistic boundaries with painting, sculpture and music creation.
For many years he traveled and worked in numerous studios in the United States and Europe. The experience he has gained and the friends he has made around the world have shaped his artistic direction.
He opened his first studio in Manhattan, New York in late 90's. All started with a small room rented from a friend. Over the following years the locations were changing and his studio evolved into three-storey premises in Manhattan named Last Rites Tattoo Theatre & Gallery. This was his flagship project. The studio was a testament to the artist’s creativity and vision. Each room was adorned with a multimedia installation. However, being an artist is also about freedom of creation and independence, and the role of studio owner limits creativity. He currently creates in a private studio in the Jersey suburbs but plans to reopen the studio in the future.
In the 1990s, Booth’s unique style gained him much interest and he became the artist of choice for celebrities such as Slayer, Pantera, Slipknot, Lamb of God, Sepultura, Cradle of Filth and WWE stars (including The Undertaker and Aleister Black). With this enviable client list, Booth has become one of the most famous tattoo artists in the world and Rolling Stone magazine named Booth “The New King of Rock Tattoos.”
Despite his provocative work, Booth sought to change the public’s perception of tattoo art. As a result, he has also been recognized by the National Arts Club, the oldest and one of the most respected arts institutions in the United States. He is the first tattoo artist to receive this honor.
Booth also creates music which, like all of his work, penetrates deep into the human mind. Dark ambient fits perfectly into his style and complements all of his work. It forms a background for his dark paintings and tattoos. You can get acquainted with his tracks from four albums on Spotify.
It is impossible to list all of Paul Booth’s work in detail. He creates shocking paintings that skilfully play on people’s subconsciousness and fears. His wonderful sculptures are dark and gloomy, yet harmonious in form. The covers for music albums he is the author of are miniature works of art preserving the depth and sense of the music they represent. Not to mention the unusual, apocalyptic 3D models.
Fascinated by the work of Paul Booth, we couldn’t help but invite him to our project. The artist will exhibit his works on the NFTattoo platform. We will have the privilege to introduce the art of the tattoo legend to the blockchain world. It is a great honor for us!
More information about Paul Booth:
Web: paulboothart.com
Instagram: instagram.com/paulbooth
Facebook: facebook.com/PaulBoothOfficial
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/Paul_Booth_(tattoo_artist)
