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01/10/2006
Artist Profile: Dave Archer

I met Dave Archer of Big Kahuna Tattoo at the New York City Tattoo Convention over three years ago. We had spoken many times in BMEzine's community forums, particularly over our shared love of blackwork tattoos, but meeting him in the flesh was different. Dave has this incredible energy that is infectious. You cannot not like Dave Archer. This energy is ever present when discussing his art. What's so interesting about Dave's work is that he remains true to tattooing's tribal roots while many artists in America move away from solid black towards heavy color. And this faithfulness has earned him numerous accolades, including tribal prizes from the NYC convention for the past two years for his work on a full body suit of traditional tribal motifs, also a winner of the Best of Overall Male in the Tattoo Directory online competition.

Dave opened up his Boca Raton, Florida studio, Big Kahuna, in 1999 with his wife, tattooist and painter Lea. He also has three other tattoo artists, Jason, Shane and Cody, working there, all with very different artistic styles.

Dave and I spoke about his own bodysuit, blackwork tattoos, and how he's seen the community evolve over the years.

Needled: When did you start getting tattooed and what attracted you to the art form?

Dave: I got my first tattoo in a shop in '83. I was 13. I had handpoked a bunch of crap on myself already, but I made a deal with my mom to stop tattooing myself if she let me get a real one...I'm not really sure what attracted me -- it really was just something from inside me somewhere.

When did you start tattooing? What helped make the switch from tattoos as a passion to a profession as well?

I had started handpoking friends as a teenager, then about '91 or '92, just before I moved to Europe, a really cool, old school biker tattoo artist I knew -- Sicko was his name -- started showing me a few things. When I got to Europe, I went to Birmingham, England and bought my first machines from Micky Sharpz. It was wild. He showed me the little shed where he built everything and let me pick the ones I wanted from a bunch of different machines. Of course, I had NO IDEA what I was doing!

Tattooing has changed a lot since those days of buying machines out of Micky Sharpz' shed! Now anyone can just head to the Sharpz web site. In what other ways have you seen the tattoo community change from when you started out?
Well, it's gotten bigger! I used to scare people, now I can't go buy toilet paper without getting asked about mytattoos.

Is the mainstream popularity of tattooing a good or bad thing in your view?

Good and bad. I think some of the TV shows and other media are pushing it to another level...I know EVERYBODY seems to be trying to get in the door somehow.

Including tattooists who don't even have tattoos. Should all tattooists be tattooed?
YES. YES. YES. In fact, I feel very strongly that people with no tattoos have no business whatsoever tattooing. I would NEVER let somebody without tattoos tattoo me. Sorry, I got no respect for those people. Never trust a skinny cook!

Well, you\'re definitely qualified. How many layers are under that body suit?
Hahaha...I have pretty much everything except my face, feet, groin, palms and the center of my throattattooed...solidly. My arms are full coverups of coverups -- 5 or 6 layers deep in some places -- but I think they are working good and it\'s getting a rich organic look that couldn't be achieved any other way. You NEVER have to stop getting tattooed. Lucky Rich proved that. Keep blastin' over old stuff.

What are your favorite pieces?

I have an old school Giger-style backpiece that my friend Xed LeHead is reworking and I'm really excited with how its coming along. My armpit skulls by Henning Jorgensen are some of my favorite tattoos also. He's such a nice guy.

Let's talk about the work that you tattoo. You have a particular specialty in blackwork. What attracted you to this style?

I always liked black. It's more timeless and pure to me. The beauty of that style is that it fits the body well and will look good the rest of your life -- as other tattoos will fade and blur through the years, solid black will still look good.

Your large Polynesian-inspired bodysuit that you created won numerous awards. Tell us about the work.

I started that suit around 2000 or 2001 as a sleeve. The client is a super nice guy and a great person to work on. He sits very well and is into showing his work. He also let me have a very freehand in the design. It just progressed from the sleeve. Doing that suit is what really got me hooked on blackwork.

How do you envision the future for Big Kahuna and your tattoo work?

I hope to see the same crew I have 10 years from now. I'm not looking to expand. I got a good group around me. I'm kind of tattooing a bit less recently, but doing more of the blackwork I love and that's cool. As long as I can make a living doing what I love, it's all good in my world.