Reese, Remembered.

See you at the next one....

 

It is with a heavy heart we say goodbye to tattooer Alex "Reese" Grail Pursell. Reese passed away in October 24th due to a bacterial infection that spread to his heart.

Reese Pursell owned Timeless Tattoos in Kansas City, and spent something like 200 days a year traveling and tattooing. He traveled D.J.'d, and tattooed many years of his life. He owned and/or operated shops from New Orleans , NYC, to San Francisco, finally resting in the legendary tattoo town of Kansas City, MO. He loved to talk about history and food and was always quick to  give the heads up if I was in need of advice on either subject.  He was especially knowledgeable about the pretty tattooed girls in any given town.

He was an intelligent man, and had a heart that held fast to traditional values. He preferred hand painted signs and classic designs to the internet specials and computer generated "deals" that he felt had infested the tattoo industry. He wouldn't sell out the tattoo community, or himself. He preferred doing solid work and word of mouth clientele to internet promotion and detested the cheapening of the craft of tattooing to the "lowest common denominator". In a letter with his long time friend Mollie he said "I am very serious when it comes to the craft, history and securing the legacy of tattooing. I FIRMLY BELIEVE IN HONESTY and HARD WORK."

He was first on board to give generously to any in the tattoo family that needed help, and even very recently paid to bury his friend. He personally donated items to an art show I had for my own local humane society, and actually cared that it was for "the critters" (as he called them). Reese was not afraid of any tattoo made it his mission to treat every tattoo and customer with equal importance. Reese's name and life was full of adventure, music, and friends.

"We (as tattooers) are only as good as our last tattoo," he told me in a 2008 interview."As far as rock stars and TV celebrities, we as artists are only as famous as the mortal canvas lasts. Eventually our art dies, and our name is all that remains."

         "Reese would always put other people in front of him, it was an honor knowing him." said longtime   friend and fellow traveler Myke Chambers.

"It's comforting to hear how much he was loved in the tattoo community. We'd like to thank everyone for the great stories and fond memories." Said his sister J.J. Pursell.

When I talked to him about the preservation of tattoo history, and his place in it, Reese said "I don't want to fill the pages of tattoo history, but I would like a mention."

Reese is survived by a whole world of tattoo family who will sorely miss him, his shop family at Timeless, mother Jo Reese-Pursell and two sisters Amanda Pursell-Genk and J.J.Pursell. His family held a memorial service for him with tattoo family in Kansas City and they plan on spreading his ashes in some of his favorite ports including NYC, Portland Oregon, and Hawaii.

Well Reese, here's your mention. You are loved and will live on in our hearts, as timeless as they come... See you at the next one

deVita Unauthorized, by Nick Bubash

deVita Unauthorized ,

a book by Nick Bubash

deVita Unauthorized chronicles and benefits a man who was at the root of a massive art and tattoo movement that began on NYC stoops in the 60's.  Lovingly authored by student and long time friend Pittsburgh artist Nick Bubash, deVita Unauthorized is a replication of an original Loose-leaf portfolio made by Nick Bubash between the fall of 2001 and spring of 2003. The original 30 copies were painstakingly assembled by Bubash and  was housed in a wooden box measuring 17' x 22' x 11/2'. It cover was held on by 2 wing nuts and a clivis pin and it was painted and collaged inside and out by deVita and embellished with various wooden and metal objects.

Ed Hardy and Hardy Marks publishing have reproduced the book  and the collection available to the public.  It includes the original pages of deVita collages, lithographs, essays, and contributions from Ed Hardy, Mike Malone, Scott Harrison, Teddy Varndel, JohnWyatt, Nick Bubash and of course, Thom deVita --heavy-hitting artists who were touched by the "art bomb" and magic that shaped and evolved tattooing as an art... waves that are still felt today as tattooing rapidly advances..

It can be ordered from Hardy Marks Publications here http://www.hardymarks.com/books/devita-unauthorized/), Last Gasp Publications and Distributing Art Publishers the price is $30.

 

Very few lucky folks can order the book signed with original art by contacting deVita himself at 23 overlook Place, City of Newbergh, NY 12550, or on ebay under "belle 10-1" at http://www.ebay.com/itm/deVita-Unathorized-Special-edition-12-20-signed-w-original-art-by-Thom-deVita-/120975891080?pt=Antiquarian_Collectible&hash=item1c2ab99a88&nma=true&si=qVJajIRhtYG%2F3lq4NW26gYncVo0%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

for $300.

Chicken Soup for a punk rock lil boy

I came home to find my boy with a bonafide fever of 102 (for the first time in 10 years!). I'm making Jewish penicillin (chicken soup) and loving life right now; the house smells fantastic and I'm remembering when my own mother would cook it for me...
a standard chicken soup: saute 2 onions, 4 carrots, 3 celery with salt & pepper. Then I put that stuff in a big pot with some broth (I use veggie bullion so I can divide in half for my vegetarian food), bay leaves, parsley, and thyme. Then I brown up an organic free range whole chicken with gloves on (ew!) and sea salt and crush black pepper on that. (I boil up the hearts and liver stuff for my puppies on the side). I divide out the veggie broth mix and add the chicken to the main pot and low simmer for about an hour or so and then pull the chicken to cool while I make Matzo balls. I make the matzo balls the way my mom did, from a box (ha!): the directions say to beat two eggs and 1/4 cup of oil together, add the mix and let stand 15 min, I wet my hands and then make lil walnut sized balls. I then pull the meat off the bones (Gloves!) and feed my puppies the skin&extra and add it to the meat batch. I bring it to a boil and add the matzo balls, roll them around a lil in the broth and then put a lid on to cook those balls for 30 min (They look like brains, hahah) at a nice steamy boil. the kids like noodles, so I added some egg noodles and cooked those.

I put it in a bowl and delivered it to my boy with plenty of water and Sons of Anarchy marathon on netflix (with Kevin smith intermissions).... the boy's fever broke by 4 pm, he took a shower and a walk, and this morning he went back to school, ready to conquer the world. It was a good time. And, we didn't have to stoop to low levels and see the quack doctor for quack antibiotics.