Skin is like waterfront property – there’s only so much of it, and once the space is taken, there is no more. That is either the worst analogy ever, or the MOST AWESOME.

Either way, Ian White is proving it to be true.

Nasties, might you be wanting a tattoo? Look no further than our very own artist, Ian White. A recent transplant from the exotic land of Dayton, Ohio, you will know this man by the Straight Edge X on his face. This man has a lot of tattoos – full sleeves, a close-to-covered right leg, important dates and inside jokes and silly trifles and life-changing words, a butterfly, a bucket, a bullet – and in the spirit of East Nasty, his latest addition is an homage to running: a gigantic running robot on his left thigh which will eventually be wearing green shoes.

So how did this former Air Force intelligence worker wind up a tattoo artist? When Ian was in the Air Force, there was no rule against visible tattoos, so he started collecting them. Then the Air Force changed their rules, and somehow could not sanction a kid with a patterned throat; one would think that he would be grandfathered in and able to stay on, but he was not allowed to re-enlist.

All I can say is that Uncle Sam’s loss is Nashville’s gain.

Ian works at Black 13 in Cummins Station, and churns out some pretty incredible stuff. He has been in town for several months, living in East Nashville with his dog Penny, and appreciates the friendliness of the East Nasty crew (awww, guys! He lurvs us!).

I’m contemplating asking him to ink me with a Lisa Frank kitten – on a unicorn – on a rainbow – on my sternum. But time will tell.

-Annie P.