The Illustrated Man...How to become a walking work of art

“Truly, I believe that the artist is slightly more important than the canvas,” says Andrew Finnerty, who won the Northern Express Tattoo Contest in our Best of Northern Michigan issue this year. “In tattooing, the person is a canvas, and the artist is the one who creates.”
Northern Express contacted Finnerty after his picture appeared in the paper to see if he’d be interested in telling readers what it’s like to become a flesh canvas. A student from Boon, Michigan who is studying to become an English teacher at Northwestern Michigan College, Finnerty wrote back the following article about his experience, based on questions from the Express. Look for part two next week in which he interviews tattoo artist Curtis Conwell of Cadillac.

NE: How did your tattoos come about?
Finnerty: This, to me, is like writing an article about getting my car worked on, rather than talking to the mechanic. Also, I’m an advocate toward my experience, which couldn’t have happened without Curtis Conwell. I would suggest people contact him, rather than me. I just got my vehicle worked on. But, to answer some questions: I got my first tattoo at 18. I am now 22. I have nine tattoos now; two have been covered up by Curtis, one is a huge back and shoulder piece that includes a tail running down my left leg.
Each one of them has a story behind it, and a meaning. If someone were to see my Black Flag symbol, with the words “My War” tattooed above it, they could look up that song, and realize that is something I want to hold onto for a long time. That is something I don’t want to let go. It’s honest, and when you’re naked, you’re at your most honest.
Tattoos to me, are not a fashion statement. I dislike most people’s tattoos, because I think they are generally less thoughtful toward something that will be with them for a long time.

NE: Was it painful?
Finnerty: Dealing with pain is one of the most personal things a person can experience, and it’s a good way to help you feel alive, when you wish you were dead. No one can help you with your pain; it can’t be taken away. It wakes you up like biting your tongue until it bleeds when someone has just insulted you. I usually sit for four hours at a time, and spend most of it with my nose in a book, or listening to an eclectic variety of music Curtis has to offer. I’ve spent a total of 24 hours in his chair.

NE: Why did you have some of them covered up?
Finnerty: Why a cover-up? I did visit a TC plastic surgeon to check out the implications of having a tattoo removed. When I sat in the lobby, I saw all these pictures of 15-year-old girls who were gorgeous, because they had plastic surgery. Didn’t you know that we’re all ugly and need plastic surgery? There’s obviously something wrong with us.
The doctor asked if I wanted to do something about the particularly large port wine stain birthmark on the right side of my head and neck. It doesn’t touch my face, and it doesn’t affect me in any way mentally. I guess I really love myself more than to want to change myself in the way that a plastic surgeon can offer, so I opted to get my tattoos covered-up rather than lasered off. And if those bastards (maybe a bit extreme) thought they were doing a real service to the community, they wouldn’t charge so much.
Until laser surgery is more affordable, less superficial, and little less painful than being skin-graphed without anesthetic, I’ll stick with my tattoos. I can say more about my intensity level of experiences and life values than a girl who hates the size of her chest. There is some form of self-hatred marketed toward women with plastic surgery that tattoos don’t exercise. I also hate the stigma attached to tattoos and the people that have them. Could you look at me and even think I had a tattoo? I’m just a skinny, curly-haired guy going to school to become a teacher. They can all be hidden with a pair of pants and a small white T-shirt, and for me, I’m glad it’s that way.
I can’t be too honest with others about myself. Tattoos aren’t necessarily for everyone’s eyes as more just for mine. Unbeknownst to many, thinking is also one of the most painful and personal processes people choose to go through, and therefore, I think many people choose not to.

NE: What traditions and inspirations prompted you to make your body a work of art?
Finnerty: In the process of discovering who you are, there are many things people can take away from you. To quote the movie/book ‘Fight Club,’ “You are not unique, you are not a beautiful snowflake, you are not your job, you are not the contents of your wallet, you are part of the compost heap.”
I cringe when people say that they are individuals. I like to take as much away from them as I can. If I took off your designer outfit, would you still be the same person? If I stole your car, if you [the reader of this article] really weren’t materialistic (as a lot of people say they aren’t, because it sounds like the right thing to say), would you still be you?¨
This, I know, that you can take away all my personal possessions, and I hold the same values by my tattoos -- you can’t take those away from me. I don’t use makeup, I don’t dye my hair, and I don’t hide who or what I am. To paraphrase the great philosopher of our time, Henry Rollins, “You can make fun of me all you want, but nothing you say can make me feel bad about who I am; there’s nothing wrong with me.”
I think everyone is an individual; I’m not sure however, how people justify that? What aesthetics prove someone carries traits that others don’t have, and if so, does it mean they are good? In this day and age with TV and the Internet, we’re becoming homogenized. We’re growing up seeing the same things and therefore have some of the same memories. But tattoos allow me to keep some of my personal beliefs and experiences close by when remembering certain situations. For the same reason the Amish do things different: to remind themselves they are different.

NE: Do you or other people consider your tattoos extreme?
Finnerty: I don’t care what anyone thinks of my tattoos, nor do I hide it from people including my parents. It’s always been important to me, to be proud of how I live and what I stand for. If you can’t get behind something all the way, then don’t do it. If you can’t smoke in front of your mom, or use drugs in front of your boss, don’t do them period. Tattoos remind me of how I’m different, and what I hold onto.

NE: What is the meaning of the tattoo on your back?
Finnerty: The full back tattoo and tail was based on my favorite artist H.R. Giger (watch any of the “Alien” movies and “Dune,” or search the Internet for some of his art), about 10 medical pictures of spines, the Red Dragon movie tattoo, electric/mechanical objects, and a theme of part animal/part machine, because humans are my favorite animal species, and it’s always better to choose humanity over anything else.
Don’t sit around watching TV looking at beautiful rock stars that won’t lower the price of their albums because they need to show off their cars and gold toilet seats on cable, or use Internet chat rooms to hide behind reality, or write in a web log. Life is about striving for something better than what you are. Become faster, stronger, smarter, and always push those limits. Everyone should know their limitations. Spend time with humanity. Always choose humanity over copping out in front of a TV or computer.

NE: What next?
Finnerty: When I get some more cash, I may tattoo the skin around my kidneys, and halfway down my butt. As you have read, tattoos are a transition of self and a way to stick with that said transition for me.


Next week, “Flesh Canvas”: the art interviews the artist.
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