A few weeks ago I posted my digital camera and this time I received more trade offers than ever! I really had to think hard about a lot of these offers, at first I thought that I would trade for a Digital Camcorder. I figured that a camcorder is like a camera but it takes a lot of photos all in a row, so it's got to be better and thus worth more. I had other offers that weren't quite as good like antique beer steins, or a glider rocker chair, however I soon got another offer that made me forget all about the camcorder... a hang glider! I thought that would be fun. After all hang gliders are expensive and typically sell these days for thousands of dollars! Then I did some research... Turns out that old hang gliders are pretty much worthless and this one looked pretty old. Also, I couldn't find a glider for sale that looked anything like the one that was offered to me so I had no idea what it was worth. I reluctantly passed. Luckily, out of the blue (get it, I started with a BLUE bead, get it, get it?) I received a whole slew of new emails. An older computer, a carbon fiber fishing reel, a film camera, contracting work, antique sewing machines and all kinds of other cool stuff. Then I got stuck trying to pick between an artist who would commission a few paintings, and a glass worker who would create some glass art. Both seemed like pretty rad and unique ideas, but were both eclipsed by the offer for tattoo work. After all, I live in Portland where some body art junkies will cut off their left arm just to get their next tattoo on their right.
I met with Thom to check out his tattoo work (pictured below) and get his story. We agreed to meet out back behind a building he referred to as "the shop." When I arrived in the empty alley/parking lot I thought it's possible I was about to meet the first and last ax murderer I would ever know. After all I had no idea who this guy was and I was meeting him alone in a dead end alley way behind a brick building referred to as "the shop." A man stepped out of his parked car who thankfully didn't have an ax in his hands, and whats more, had his child and dog in the car which put me at ease. Anyway, Thom was a really nice guy! He showed me his portfolio of tattoo work and sent me some digital pictures to put on my blog. 
Thom is opening a tattoo parlor here in Portland on 58th and Powell known as Lucid Ink. So he traded me a $300 dollar gift certificate in the name of his new store. He also included his cell phone number on the card so that whomever is lucky enough to trade for the gift card can get their tattoo work regardless of the success of Lucid Ink. His portfolio had some cool work in it. I don't know much about tattoos but it seems Thom can do just about any kind of simple tattoo work, he also had some examples of cover-up work if you have a "mistake tattoo," and some intricate custom work. Here are a few images of some of Thom's work:
Finally the pitch. If you are in need of $300 in tattoo work then send me a trade offer at patrickk@pdx.edu . I'll consider ANY offer that's made to me! I'll also travel anywhere in the world in order to make the trade if the offer is good enough. Remember that my goal is to keep trading and sell what I obtain on March 10th, 2008. The money I accrue will be donated to the Cultural Awareness Foundation here in Portland. Send me your offers.Patrick.
