Who Did Your Ink?: Christina Gray tattoos her brother's art
Georgia Straight, by Janet McDonald on August 12th, 2017 at 5:30 PM
“Who Did Your Ink? is the Straight’s weekly feature, where we ask badass Vancouverites about the talented artists, indelible stories, and, at times, questionable antics behind their most treasured tattoos.”
What's your name? Christina Gray.
What do you do? I’m a lawyer turned policy wonk.
Who did your ink? Lemur Vlt at Seven Eight Tattoo (192 Spadina Avenue, Toronto).
Why did you choose this artist to do your tattoo? I was struck by the beauty of Lemur’s designs and the way he approached his artistry.
Is there any meaning behind it? My brother, Phil Gray, is a Ts’msyen (pronounced sim-see-anne) artist. I asked Phil to send me one of his favourite "salmon trout head" designs and he sent me this one. I’d been thinking about getting this tattoo since I was 20 years old.
Phil made a transforming raven print and I loved the "salmon trout head" that was within that design. I guess I got this tattoo to symbolize the transformative period in my life when I began working as a human rights lawyer in Toronto.
Who's your favourite local tattoo artist? I don’t have a favourite tattoo artist, but Phil.
Have some ink you'd like to share? Contact Janet McDonald at ink@straight.com.