Just the parts, still haven’t been able to get a “real” photo shoot of this one.  This project recently took home the Judge’s Choice Trophy at the 2010 Glendive Bike Show.  Congratulations to the owner, Krystal Haibeck, and thank you, Krystal, for giving Kirk the opportunity to do this project.  Clear coating, as always, by Jerome Zimmerman at KraZKustoms.

Currently, we’re still without signage on the front of the building.   If you’re driving by and see the sign for “In the Flesh Tattoo & Piercing”, you’re at the right place, come see us!  Two shops, one location.   You can find us at 25 1st Ave West in Dickinson.

The first lines on our first client at our new shop! image © Mykuhls Photography

We would like to add that through the end of April,  if you received a tattoo from Kirk at Michael Jays during the month of March, we will still honor the free touch up if one is necessary.  In fact, we ask that you do stop in so we can take a look at your artwork and see how you’ve healed.  Your satisfaction is extremely important to us.

Special thanks to our friend Mike Kopp of Mykuhls Photography … Mike showed up on our first day with his camera in hand and snapped a few shots of Kirk “in action.”

image © Mykuhls Photography

BassAckward Studios is excited to report that on April 1, 2010, they will be opening their new tattoo business in Dickinson, ND. The tattoo studio will be located with In the Flesh Tattooing in Dickinson. Joey and Crystal Fahlsing, owners and award-winning artists of In the Flesh, will be hosting BassAckward Studios within their shop. Fahlsing states, “The tattoo business is booming in Dickinson, and to have an artist of Kirk’s caliber within our shop is a great opportunity for all of us to better serve our community.”

BassAckward Studios was founded in October, 1994 by Kirk and Gretchen Peterson as a custom-art studio. Over the years, BassAckward Studios had specialized in custom airbrush work on vehicles and other surfaces, illustration, portraiture, and a variety of other art services. In 2004, Kirk was offered a position as tattoo artist at Michael Jays Tattoo and Piercing Clinic in Bismarck. In the nearly 6 years in this position, Kirk has built up a solid reputation as a quality artist, helping to earn Michael Jays’ distinction as “The Best Tattoo Shop in Bismarck/Mandan” in the Bismarck Tribune’s annual “Best of the Best” readers choice poll for several years in a row.

Now, Peterson states, “It is time for me to continue pursuing that “American Dream”. Over the years, BassAckward Studios has had to take a back seat to other pursuits. Opportunities have arisen, and the time has come for us to take that step to make our company more successful. The decision to leave Michael Jays and push my own business has been a tough decision to make. Leaving a position where I am secure and appreciated is never easy. My years at Michael Jays have been nothing but fantastic.”

Kirk will continue tattooing at Michael Jays through the last weekend of March. Appointments at the new location can be made by calling In the Flesh Tattoo at (701) 483-4657. Walk in appointments will also be welcomed.

A grand opening and client appreciation day is being planned. Kirk and Gretchen also invite you to visit their websites. The official website is www.bassackwardstudios.com , where you can view their work and find links to their Facebook and Myspace fan sites as well.

…. starting with a few chalk lines, about 4:30 p.m. …..

…. about halfway done….

….adding the color….

…. and the final piece, finished by 11:30 p.m.

Kirk and I took in Chris Thomas’ seminar on color theory (for Kirk) and marketing (for me); with both of us coming home with lots of ideas.

The highlight of the weekend actually was NOT meeting The Lizardman, but it was a photo op regardless!

Saturday night’s session started earlier in the evening and went on ’til around 4 a.m….

Just getting things packed and organized and ready for a wild weekend of painting at the Bottom’s Up Rally in Marmarth, North Dakota.

Where the hell is Marmarth, you ask?  West of Bowman, don’t blink–you might miss it as you drive by!  But oh what a rally they have!  As Kirk’s schedule at Michael Jays is always quite full, we don’t get to go out and do these events like we used to, but this is the one event each year that is a must-do.

The event starts Friday August 21st and runs through Sunday morning, August 23rd.  Bands on tap for the weekend are Sweathog, Spooky Poodle, and A Avenue.  Sweathog, of course, being our personal favorite when it comes to local talent…. although we may be a wee bit biased in that regard.

We will not be doing any tattooing this weekend, by the way.  Strictly an artsy-fartsy weekend of airbrushing and the usual late-night “free draw” session with Joey and Crystal from In the Flesh Tattoo.  Bring your leathers, we’ll paint ‘em up on site.  If you’ve got a helmet that needs some customization, bring that too, and we’ll be happy to ship it back to you at a later date.

See you at the rally!

Since we’re starting from scratch here, and we’ve got such a huge backlog of “old” work, we’re trying to keep things simple at this point.  Particularly with the tattoo portfolio… there are literally hundreds of photos of Kirk’s tattoo work that would take weeks to weed through and post.  So for now, it’s just our current favorites that are up.  If you would care to see more of our work, we invite you to log onto our Facebook page and browse through the albums.

Thanks for visiting!