I have always marveled at tattoos

I have none myself, no I'm not against having one, I've just never been compelled to a perfect tat that would show people who I am, without actually saying any words,  make sense? To me, that is what a tattoo is, an expression, a statement so to speak. Russ and Ashley Ireland are proud owners of Benevolent Tattoo - 3206 Memorial Hwy here in Mandan ( Tuesday thru Saturday ) - They have been on the strip since October 2014. Along with Savannah Drader ( A Body Piecer - Benevolent Body Mods ) and Mike ( an apprentice who is on his way to one day developing his own style ), This place is a pure haven for tattoo and art fans.

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I had a chance to walk through their doors this afternoon and actually observed a true genius

Not more than 3 seconds into their place, I glanced over and saw a true artist at work - Russ was working his skills on Darin

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I had a zillion thoughts that popped into my head, but my number one question to Russ was  - "How does one learn how to do this?"  - he started out as an apprentice and natural talent took over from there. I was blown away by watching him perform, and Darin was a gigantic man full of personality ( he was definitely in his happy place ).

An amazing statistic I would find out from Ashley

"We have a ton of repeat customers, I would say about 70% of them return," Ashley said. "People from as far as Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico have come in" My favorite question to ask anyone that loves their profession is "What do you love the most about your job?" - "The moment a client sees the fresh piercing, their reaction is awesome" Savannah replied

 

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Ashley Irelan and Savannah Drader

Just take a quick second to look at the detail on one of Ashley's Tattoos

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It's quite obvious that the best form of advertisement is "word of mouth", well the product that Benevolent Tattoo delivers is ten times more effective

All you have to do is look around Bismarck/Mandan, take Bike Night at Sickies Garage Burgers And Brews, for instance, you will no doubt see some of the genius work that Russ has done walking around. I can't think of a better way to enjoy your passion like Russ gets to do, than by seeing his human artwork on the "faces and bodies of Bisman"   


LOOK: The top holiday toys from the year you were born

With the holiday spirit in the air, it’s the perfect time to dive into the history of iconic holiday gifts. Using national toy archives and data curated by The Strong from 1920 to today, Stacker searched for products that caught hold of the public zeitgeist through novelty, innovation, kitsch, quirk, or simply great timing, and then rocketed to success.

 

 

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