Jamie Cross

Hello! My name is Jamie Cross. I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1968.

I got my first tattoo when I was 13. This older kid just got out of juvenile detention and was tattooing one of my friends. I watched and I wanted one.

He wrapped a piece of thread around a needle. Then he burnt a piece of the Cincinnati Post in a bowl until it was ashes. He mixed a drop of water in it and then started poking a cross on my finger.

I was so amazed that I didn't even feel it. Before you know it I started carving up everyone in junior high. Parents were not happy but it didn't matter cause my dad was big!

But I did get my ass beat when I came home with that cross on my finger. I asked why; when you have tattoos all over your arms. He said these tattoos have meaning.

He never told me the meaning of the hula girl. Anyway, I had always been into drawing and painting so I continued carving kids up. I met this kid named Mark in high school and he had a cassette motor connected to a pen.

He helped me make one and that was it I was doing tattoo parties. I met this older kid named Barney Hewitt who had a real tattoo. He was tattooed by Dana Brunson.

This was in the 80's and he was the only one around. Now there are a lot of great artists in Cincinnati like Jimmy Shadow, Jamie Edwards, Cory Flatmo, and Mike Dorsey to name a few. I got my first real tattoo in Dayton, Ohio by an old guy named Glen.

It was a little room in his basement. There were designs all over the walls. " That was the start of my new addiction.

I needed more. I moved to Westfield, MA in 89. I found a tattoo magazine and saw an ad for tattoo equipment.

I saved some money and drove to New York to get it. I continued tattooing the neighborhood. I tattooed this guy who worked at a head shop and he said it would be cool to tattoo at a head shop.

We went to the town and got everything legal. Cool, I had my first job tattooing. ) After a couple of months Tim Brewer from Body Graphics came by and offered me a job.

Now I had some teachers thanks to Tim Brewer, Brett Bryan, Paul Musso, Gypsy Putman, and Rob Matfess. Thanks! After 5 years I moved on and worked at other shops.

I would like to thank them all. ), Lucky's Tattoo, Northampton, MA, Body Graphics North, Spfld, MA, and now I have my own shop Nitemare Tattoo, Westfield, MA 413-572-0437. This is where I tattoo, paint, and do digital art.

So if your in the area stop by and check out our work and our art gallery.