Try to come up with the most unusual idea for a tattoo and where to put it, and chances are, Bear has seen them all. As one of Edmonton’s most experienced tattoo artists, Bear — yes, just Bear — has been inking epidermal creations since the 1970s, so nothing surprises him.
“Unusual is a word that doesn’t apply,” says Bear, whose own store has been around since 1991, the longest-running parlour currently operating in the city. “Artistically, there are a lot of individual expressions that are very particular to each person who gets the tattoo. And placement? Well, there really isn’t an odd placement.”
